Amelia's Choice
by Elizabeth Kate Kelly
Summary: Amelia abandons her group of survivors in the post apocalyptic world. When her life is saved by Daryl, she must make the decision to join his group or stand alone. The decision is complicated by the love/hate relationship she develops with Daryl.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Trapped!" her mind screamed frantically at her. She glanced down at the large hunting knife in her hand. Its blade was covered in blood and brain matter from the three Walkers she had already killed. Her sides ached and her lungs burned but the thought that the forest, which had once seemed so safe and welcoming to her, would now be her grave got her moving again. She stumbled away from the large tree she was resting against as the three Walkers behind her shambled closer.

Holding her side she dodged around a bush dotted with red berries. A fourth Walker appeared in front of her and with a thin cry of defiance she hurled herself at it. His bony fingers scraped at her arms, his mouth reaching for her wrist as she grabbed the rotting flesh on the side of his head with her free hand and shoved the hunting knife through his opposite temple. The knife slid easily through the soft, putrid skin and pierced the Walker's brain. He immediately fell to the ground pulling her down with him.

Sobbing and gasping, she staggered to her feet, placed one foot on the Walker's head and wrenched the knife free. She could hear moaning behind her and turned to see the other three Walkers less than 5 feet away. Her struggle with the Walker had closed the short lead she had managed to gain. Already she was stumbling from exhaustion; she had no chance of outrunning them now.

She was going to die. She looked at the knife still clutched in her hand and thought about ramming it into her own eye. Her mind stopped it's frantic, howling, gibbering and a cold voice inside her spoke.

"Coward."

She suspected that this cold voice, so different from her usual internal one, was the voice that spoke for the true core of her. The one that spoke up only in matters of life and death, and it whispered to her now in the cold, calculating tone of someone who realizes death is imminent.

"At least take one of these rotting bastards out with you. Don't die a coward's death."

Her heart, already fluttering like a trapped bird in her chest, began to race faster as fresh adrenaline coursed through her veins. The sound of her rapid, pounding heartbeat filled her ears. The forest around her seemed to sharpen; the orange and yellow of the changing leaves were so bright she was nearly blinded by them and time seemed to slow as the moaning, shuffling Walkers closed in around her.

She opened her mouth and shrieked her final war cry to the forest before launching herself at the Walker nearest to her. She felt something brush past her face ruffling her hair, a gust of wind perhaps, and the Walker in front of her dropped like a stone, an arrow protruding from one eye.

The adrenaline pumping through her propelled her forward; she tripped over the body of the slain Walker and landed on her stomach, knocking her breath from her. She rolled to her back, gasping for air, as the second Walker descended upon her. She threw her hands up, one still gripping the knife tightly, as the rotting corpse of a woman dropped down on to her and the upturned knife. It lunged for her throat and with one hand she pushed on the shoulder of the Walker forcing it backwards. She could feel the collarbone snapping under her hand as she struggled to pull the knife free from the rib cage of the thing on top of her. With a squealing, unearthly sound, the knife pulled free and she shoved the blade as hard as she could under the jaw of the Walker and up through its head. She turned her head away in disgust as blood from the Walker's mouth showered onto her chest and throat.

The weight of the dead Walker bore down on her. Small breathless sobs escaped from her mouth as she shoved at the corpse. Its crushing weight disappeared as a hand gripped its shoulder and flung it to the ground beside her.

She took another deep, gasping breath and after a moment's hesitation, accepted the hand of the man standing above her. He yanked her to her feet with one hard pull. He knelt down and wiped his own knife free of blood and gore on the dress of the Walker she had killed. She could see the third Walker on the ground behind him, a large fresh wound dribbled blood from the back of its skull.

Panting, her heart still beating like a runaway train in her chest, she stared at the man who had saved her life. He was wearing a dark pair of cargo pants and a leather vest over a long-sleeved shirt. A crossbow was strapped across his back and as he stood and faced her she found herself staring for a moment too long into his dark blue eyes.

"Thank you."

He nodded silently.

She rubbed her hands across the front of her pants and held out the least blood-covered one towards him.

"I'm Amelia."

Ignoring her hand, he carefully placed his knife back in the holder attached to his belt.

"Daryl."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Amelia pulled the knife from the head of the Walker on the ground, wincing at the wet popping sound it made. She wiped the knife clean on the woman's dress and turned to see Daryl pulling his arrow free from the first Walker.

After wiping it clean he stowed it away carefully with the rest of the arrows. He turned back to her as she was stripping off her shirt, grimacing at the wet stickiness of the blood coated on the front of it. Using the relatively clean back of the shirt, she wiped at the smears of blood that had seeped through the material and onto her chest. She glanced up to see him staring silently at her. She shrugged to herself. If he wanted to stare, let him. Besides, he had the look of a guy who wouldn't know what to do with a woman if she fell into his lap. She studied the shirt and swore under her breath before dropping it on the ground and walking towards Daryl.

He motioned behind her. "Ya forgot something."

She shook her head, "It's covered in Walker blood, I'm better off without it."

He studied the slowly setting sun through the trees. "You'll wish you had it when night falls."

"I'll take my chances."

He shrugged, "Suit yourself then. We should get moving. Your screaming most likely has a herd of Walkers headed our way."

She flushed with anger at the condescending tone in his voice. She trailed after him, ignoring the cool air that was already biting at her bare torso and arms. She wrapped her arms around her waist, and said "I'm not going with you. I just happen to be going this way as well."

He snorted derisively, "Fine by me."

They walked in silence for about 15 minutes, Amelia keeping a wary distance behind Daryl. He had saved her life but that didn't mean she had to trust him. She touched the comforting weight of her hunting knife back in its sheath on her belt and shivered. She was growing steadily colder. She rubbed her arms with her hands and tried to keep her teeth from chattering. She wasn't going to give the strange, quiet man in front of her the satisfaction of being right.

"You on your own then?" he asked.

She hesitated only a second, "Yes."

He looked behind him and rolled his eyes with disgust. "Jesus, woman." She stopped putting a warning hand on the smooth handle of her blade as he strode back towards her.

He rolled his eyes again, "I ain't gonna hurt you." He stared at her for a moment, the goose bumps visible on her arms and torso, his eyes lingering on her hardened nipples against the thin material of her bra.

She crossed her arms over her breasts. "See something you like?"

He didn't bother to reply, just rested his crossbow against his leg and shrugged out of his leather vest. He pulled his shirt over his head, the t-shirt he was wearing under it rode up and she found herself looking at his flat abdomen and the thin line of hair that disappeared under his pants.

He held the shirt out to her with one hand, pulling his t-shirt down with the other. "Here, take it." He grunted at her.

She snatched it from him with a small nod of thanks and slipped into it. It was dirty and hung comically to the middle of her thighs, but it had retained his body heat and she was grateful for its warmth. She rolled up the sleeves, not wanting them to impede her ability to get to her knife quickly if needed.

He slipped back into his vest before picking up his crossbow. "Let's keep moving."

It was growing darker and she slipped a little closer to him, keeping him within touching distance. He kept the crossbow in his hand, scanning the trees around him.

"Are you on your own as well?" she asked.

He paused, "No, I have a group of people waiting for me."

"Are there lots of you? Just men? Or are there women and children as well?"

He shouldered his crossbow and before she could even reach for her knife, he was standing in front of her. He placed one rough hand around her throat and pushed her back against a tree. The hard bark bit into her back and she pulled her knife from its sheath. Before she could plunge it into his side he grabbed her wrist with one hard hand and twisted the delicate bones there. She gasped painfully; the knife fell from her suddenly numb fingers.

"Are you with Randall's group?" he ground out. "Tell me bitch." He pushed her harder into the tree, his body shoved against hers, his warm breath on her face.

"I told you – I'm alone." She gasped out.

"Don't lie to me!" he squeezed her throat, "I can kill you easily."

"I don't know who Randall is!" She cried breathlessly.

"Yeah right, a little girl like you all on her own with no supplies? Walkin' in the woods with nothin' but a knife and the clothes on her back?"

"I dropped my supplies when I was attacked by the Walkers." Dark roses bloomed at the edges of her vision.

"Tell me who you're with." He growled.

"No one! I left them! I swear. Please." She choked out.

He released the pressure around her throat but kept his hard body pressed against hers. "Left 'em? Why?"

"They're – they're bad people. I couldn't be with them anymore."

"So you are with Randall's group." He stared at her.

"I don't know who Randall is. I swear." A tear slipped down her face and she could feel her lips trembling. He stared at her mouth, his eyes darkening as he rubbed the tear away with his rough thumb.

"Stop your cryin' woman." He muttered.

"I'm not." She frowned as another tear slipped down her cheek. He rubbed that one away as well and held his thumb in front of her, showing her the moisture on it almost accusingly.

"Please let me go." She whispered.

He ignored her and instead did the last thing she would ever expect from this rough, dirty man. With a slightly shaking hand he smoothed her hair, which had had a long day and was coming loose from its braid, back from her face. She caught her breath at the gentle touch and unwittingly found herself staring at his mouth. He had choked her and threatened her and yet she was suddenly wondering what his mouth tasted like. She had obviously lost her mind from her near-death experience. His nostrils flared and he tilted his head down towards hers.

A twig snapped behind them, her eyes flickered to a spot to his left and cursing he started to swing around. Before he could see what was behind him, there was a hard blow to the back of his head and he slipped into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The door opened and Amelia stepped into the room. She had a stack of towels tucked under one arm and she carried two large buckets filled with water. Shutting the door with her foot, she approached him slowly, setting the buckets down gently in front of him.

She observed him silently for a moment, and although he was naked and tied securely to the chair he met her gaze defiantly.

She cleared her throat, "I'm here to check you for bites. My –" she paused for a brief second, "people are concerned you're infected."

"Touch me bitch, and you'll regret it." he snarled.

She frowned, "Be happy it's me. The others wouldn't be as gentle as I will be."

She approached the chair, knelt and quickly checked the ropes that bound his legs to the chair before placing two of the towels on the cold linoleum around the chair.

"Where are we?" he demanded, as she double checked the ropes that tied his wrists to the arms of the chair.

"We found an abandoned farmhouse. We've been staying here for a few weeks now." She responded as she pulled the bag draped across her chest over her head. It fell to the floor with a muted thud and she knelt down and began to root through it.

"It's safe here. We've taken precautions."

"You're a fucking fool. There ain't no place that's safe." He rolled his eyes and tensed his arms, testing the ropes that bound him.

"We've taken precautions." She repeated herself slowly, as though speaking to a child.

"Stupid bitch." He muttered, "My people were at a farm too; we thought it was safe." He stopped, swallowing angrily before spitting out, "We were wrong."

She ignored him and pulled a small plastic pitcher, a bottle of liquid and an oval-shaped bar of soap from the bag.

She stood and looked him over. He could feel his face heating up when her gaze lingered on his lap. She glanced away and he was perversely glad at the sight of her red cheeks.

"See somethin' ya like?" he asked and her blush deepened.

She draped one of the smaller towels across his lap before dipping the pitcher into the bucket of water and stepping in front of him. Without warning she dumped the water over his head.

"What the fuck?" he spit the warm water at her angrily.

"You need a bath Daryl." She informed him, dipping the pitcher into the bucket and pouring another dose of water over him. Water soaked his hair, running down his face, throat and shoulders in small streams of warmth.

"I told you - I need to check you for bites and with the layers of dirt on you there's no way I'll be able to check effectively. Don't your people believe in bathing?" she asked sarcastically.

She poured a small amount of liquid from the bottle into her hand. He jerked his head back as she reached towards him.

"It's just shampoo." She moved her hands towards his head but stopped abruptly and gave him a wary look. "If you bite me Daryl my people will kill you instantly. It won't matter what I say. They won't stop to look for bites or scratches; they'll call you a Walker and bash your skull in."

He snorted, "Some friends. I save your fucking life and this is how they welcome me."

She sighed, "I didn't say they were my friends."

She began to massage the shampoo into his hair, rubbing in small circular motions. He hissed when her fingers brushed over the large scrape on the back of his head. The shampoo burned the sensitive area and he cursed violently under his breath.

"I'm sorry." She murmured.

"Sorry about what? Tricking me into rescuing you so your friends could make me a prisoner, or sorry you didn't get to hit me yourself?"

"I didn't want that to happen." She rubbed the shampoo through his hair more roughly then was required. "You have to believe me."

"I don't." he rasped.

She shrugged, "Fair enough. Tilt your head back, so you don't get shampoo in your eyes."

She clutched his soapy hair and tugged his head back. He closed his eyes as she poured water over his head, running her fingers gently through his hair as the water rinsed the shampoo away. Using one of the smaller towels she rubbed his head briskly, being careful to avoid the scrape.

"Hold your breath." She advised before pouring water on his upturned face. She rubbed the soap between her wet fingers and began to scrub away the dirt and grime from his face. She rinsed his face and tugged gently on the hair on his chin.

"Should have brought a razor." She teased.

He opened his eyes, "Come anywhere near me with a razor and you'll regret it. "

She didn't reply, just pushed his chin up and poured more warm water down his neck and across his shoulders and chest. She ran the soap across her hands and then transferred the lather to his throat, rubbing away the dirt. She pulled his head down and scrubbed at the dirt on the back of his neck. "Seriously Daryl. Don't you ever bathe?"

He grunted in reply as she rinsed away the soap and dirt and started to clean his shoulders.

"Lean forward." She instructed. He refused and she pushed at his wet shoulders. It was like pushing a rock.

"Don't be an idiot Daryl." She shoved again at his shoulders. "I'll just call for help."

He leaned forward as far as the ropes would let him. She sucked in her breath at the sight of the long, ropy scars that covered his back but didn't say anything. He tensed and hunched his shoulders when she drew one finger gently across the scar closest to his shoulder.

"Do they hurt?" she whispered.

He shook his head no but she kept her hands gentle as she washed and rinsed his back.

She swallowed hard as she ran her fingers over the hard muscles of his bicep, lathering it with soap. She tugged at his arm and he raised it as high as he could so she could wash under his arm and down his forearm. She rinsed his arm and took his hand in hers. He snatched her soap-covered fingers in his own and pressed down painfully on her index finger. She gasped with pain as he applied more pressure.

"All I have to do is twist and your finger is broken." He growled.

"All I have to do is scream." she whispered and glanced at the closed door behind her.

He held her fingers for a few seconds more, his blue eyes glaring into hers before he released her hand. She drew a steadying breath and finished washing his hand before moving on to his other arm.

She poured water on his chest and ran her soapy fingers across his chest in circular movements. She felt him shudder a little under her touch.

"Sorry." She murmured. "The water is cooling." She continued her administrations, biting her lip in concentration.

Daryl wanted to close his eyes but he discovered he was fascinated by the way her teeth worried at her full lower lip. Since the moment he had saved her life in the forest he had been captivated by her dark brown eyes and full mouth. He could even grudgingly admit to himself that he was impressed by her courage when facing death, and while her techniques for killing the Walkers seemed to be a combination of luck and timing rather than any discernible skill, he couldn't deny that they were effective.

She leaned forward, fingers scraping at a particularly stubborn piece of dirt and he breathed in the scent of her hair. It was pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head and a few errant strands tickled his collarbone. It felt as soft as it looked.

He gritted his teeth as she moved her hands across his abdomen, willing himself not to get an erection. She was a lying bitch who had tricked him and was keeping him a prisoner in the basement of a farmhouse. It was not the time for his dick to start making the decisions.

He pulled furtively against the ropes around his wrists trying to subtly loosen them as she turned away to dip her pitcher into the bucket of water. The water was getting low in the first bucket and he watched as she tipped the bucket and poured the remaining water into the plastic pitcher. As she stretched to pull the second bucket towards her his eyes fell to her full breasts. They were covered by a modest white t-shirt but in the process of giving him a bath, the t-shirt had gotten wet and he could see the outline of one nipple against the wet fabric.

As if she sensed his thoughts she tugged self-consciously at her t-shirt, pulling the wet fabric away from her skin before turning back and rinsing his chest and stomach clean. Placing the pitcher on the floor she examined his hands and fingers. She checked both of his arms, pulling on them so she could check the undersides of them. She bent over him and ran her soft fingers over his neck and behind his ears, probing for bites or scratches. He could feel her soft breath on his face, her mouth was inches from his and he felt an uncharacteristic urge to lean forward and capture her lips with his. Before he could act on the urge, she straightened up and stared down at his head, rubbing her fingers through his hair, skipping over the area where her friends had tried to break his skull open. Her breasts were directly in front of his face now and he groaned silently, closed his eyes and jerked his head back.

She stopped and looked down at him. "What?" she asked.

"Ya mind steppin' back a bit?" He snapped. "You could use a bath yourself."

She laughed and tugged at his hair, "I showered this morning." She moved behind him, pushed on his back to make him lean forward and studied the back of his neck and upper back.

"Coulda' fooled me." He muttered. He was lying of course. She smelled wonderful. She smelled like wild roses. He had no idea how on earth she could smell that good in this heat. As her hands traced the scars on his back, he shuddered again. He hadn't been with a woman for years and the women he had been with certainly had never touched him like this.

She moved back in front of him and trailed her fingers over his chest. She leaned in, her breath stirring the hairs on his chest and he cursed again.

"What?" she asked again, her brows knitting together as she frowned at him.

"Stop it." He glared at her again.

"I told you, I need to check you for bites."

"Ya don't need to touch me. Ya got eyes in your head ain't ya?" he shook his head with disgust and tried to twist away from her hands.

She continued to run her fingers over his chest, ignoring his frustrated sighs and futile attempts to move away from her. He was right of course, she didn't need to touch him to check for bites, but she couldn't stop. She was riveted by his blue eyes, the smooth skin covering powerful muscles, the coarse hair covering his chest. The sound of his raspy voice, even when he was angry, sent little chills down her spine. Even the knowledge that if he were to gain his freedom he wouldn't hesitate to snap her neck was not enough to stop her from touching him.

She finished examining his chest and abdomen and turned away to dip the pitcher into the second bucket. She took a deep breath and released it nervously before kneeling in front of him. She avoided looking directly into his lap, ignored the significance of her position in front of him, and concentrated on pouring water on his thighs and lower legs. The water pooled around his feet, and was soaked up by the towels she had placed there earlier. She willed her fingers not to shake as she lathered the soap and rubbed his calves and feet as best as she could around the ropes and the legs of the chair. She moved on to his upper thighs. They were rock hard and she could feel the muscles twitching under her fingers as she scrubbed at them. Still refusing to lift her eyes any higher than his legs, she tried and failed to keep the heat from her cheeks. She could feel a familiar ache starting in her belly and she took another shaky breath before pouring water across his legs.

Ignoring the way her hands were starting to tremble she pulled the towel off Daryl's lap. Her lips parted and she made a small noise in the back of her throat at the sight of his very large erection. She couldn't help it; she looked up into Daryl's face. He was staring down at her, his eyes burning into hers, face as red as her own.

"I hate you." He groaned.

"It would seem there's a part of you that doesn't hate me." She gave a shaky, nervous laugh as he groaned again. She poured water over his lap. The water had cooled significantly and she expected it to lessen his erection but it had no effect. She soaped her trembling hands and glanced up at him again.

"Don't." he warned, baring his teeth at her.

"Don't be silly Daryl." She cleared her throat. The rest of you is clean and I have touched a dick before."

At the touch of her warm, soapy hands, he jerked in the chair nearly tipping it over and let out his breath in a loud rush that turned into a low guttural moan as she wrapped her fingers around him. Her nipples tightened and hardened in reaction to his moan, and warmth spread through her lower belly. She moved her hand up and down, trying to remember that she was doing this for cleanliness not for pleasure. The low moans and sighs coming from above her as she gently rubbed made it difficult for her to concentrate on the task. He swelled in her hand, growing even larger as she gripped him with her fingers and moved her hand in a firm stroking motion.

The area between her thighs throbbed and ached with need. She took short, shallow breaths, and finally looked up at Daryl. He was staring down at her with an intense fierceness that took her breath away. Her hand tightened in response and he groaned again.

"Stop." He swallowed hard. "Please."

She pulled her hand away with effort and shakily poured water on to his lap again and again, rinsing the soap away without touching him.

She pushed away from him, turning away to drop the pitcher into the bucket before grabbing the last remaining towel and roughly drying his legs. She avoided his lap and instead moved to his arms, toweling them dry then wiping the remaining droplets of water from his chest and abdomen. His eyes were closed and he was panting harshly as she leaned in to dry his collarbone and throat.

"Daryl?" She leaned closer, putting her face directly in front of his. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have – " Her breath caught in her throat and she let the towel drop into his lap when he unexpectedly opened his eyes. They were dark with desire and as he dropped them to stare at her mouth, he growled low in his throat when her lips parted and the tip of her tongue darted out to dab at her upper lip.

Quick as a striking snake, he captured her mouth in a hard punishing kiss. He thrust his tongue between her lips, stroking hers furiously. She hesitated and then kissed him back fiercely. She straddled him, wedging her thighs between his legs and the arms of the chair and clutching his head in her hands. They kissed harder, tongues tangling together for long minutes before they broke apart. She rested her forehead against his as they panted harshly into each other's faces.

"Amelia." He whispered against her lips and it was all the encouragement she needed to kiss him again. She pushed his head to the side and ran her tongue along his jaw line, feeling the scratchiness of his facial hair against her tongue before gently sucking on his earlobe. He groaned into her ear and he could feel his fingers scraping uselessly against the side of her thighs. She ran her tongue down his throat before tracing it along his collarbone. He groaned louder and thrust his hips against her. She could feel his erection through the towel she had dropped on his lap and she rubbed herself against him eagerly.

"Amelia. Untie me." He moaned into her ear. "I want to touch you."

She sat back, breathing heavily as he stared first at her mouth and then dropped his eyes to her breasts, lingering on her nipples visible against the damp fabric of her t-shirt.

"I can't." she whispered.

He stared at her, the desire in his eyes slowly changing to anger. He bucked against her, nearly pushing her from his lap.

She slipped off his lap and tried to calm her breathing. "Daryl, I'm sorry, I can't untie you. If I do, they'll kill us both. Please you have to – "

He shook his head angrily at her, "Stupid bitch. Get out."

She tried again, "Daryl I'm sorry, I didn't mean to – "

"GET OUT!" he roared and she fled for the door as voices raised in alarm were heard outside the room.

She opened the door and slipped through it, letting it slam behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you everyone for your lovely reviews. They are very much appreciated!

Chapter 4

"What the hell?" Amelia stepped into the room balancing a tray with a bowl of steaming soup and a glass of water.

She set the tray down on the floor and kneeled in front of Daryl. She traced the line of his jaw with her finger and he jerked his head away from her angrily.

She stared at the swelling under his right eye and the bruises forming on his jaw.

"Daryl, what happened?"

"Your friends is what happened." He sneered at her. "Paid me a little visit last night; thought they could beat information out of me."

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. For the first time she noticed the scrapes and bruises on his torso. They had given him back his pants but had left his upper body bare.

He shrugged, "It's what I woulda done. Hell, have done."

He winced when she touched one of the larger scrapes on his chest.

"You and your friends can go to hell." He muttered.

She sighed, "I told you, they're not my friends and –" she lowered her voice to a whisper, "They're bad people. I was trying to get away from them."

He nodded at the knife that hung from her belt. "Use that to untie me and let's go then."

She bit her bottom lip. "Daryl, it's not that easy. They have guns. We can't just walk out of here in broad daylight. They're already suspicious of my story about why I was in the woods by myself."

He just stared at her with those disconcerting blue eyes.

"I'll think of a plan to get us both out of here, I promise." She smiled at him. He didn't return her smile and she sighed and picked up the bowl of soup.

"Here, have a bite to eat. It's just from a can but it's hot." She dipped the spoon into the bowl and brought it towards his mouth.

He leaned back, "I ain't letting you feed me woman."

She shrugged, "It's your choice. Either I feed you and you get some nourishment or you starve. C'mon Daryl, it's been nearly two days. I know you're hungry."

"I ain't." His growling stomach betrayed him.

"Just eat a few bites." She urged.

She held the spoon of steaming liquid in front of his mouth and after a few seconds he opened his mouth. She spooned the mixture into his mouth in silence. Quickly he ate the entire bowl of soup. She scraped the last of the liquid from the bottom of the bowl and gave it to him. She wiped his mouth with the napkin on the tray and then held the glass of water for him to drink.

"Amelia." He tried again, "Untie me."

She shook her head, "Not now, it's too light out and there are too many people around."

He grimaced, "Your people are going to kill me before you get the chance to –"

"Shhh!" she hissed at him and cocked her head. From outside came the faint sound of someone screaming followed by the loud popping of gunfire.

"Shit!" she leaped to her feet and ran for the door.

"Amelia! Set me free!" he yelled at her. She didn't stop and bolted through the door. It swung shut behind her, leaving him alone in the room.

Daryl pulled frantically at the ropes that bound him. He cursed loudly; sweat broke out on his forehead and the veins pulsed in his neck as he yanked against the ropes. Outside there were more screams and gunfire. He strained to look out the small basement windows but they were clouded with dirt.

Five, maybe ten minutes, had passed when there was a loud thud at the door. The knob turned and he held his breath, hoping it was Amelia. The door swung open and the man who had visited him the night before to work him over with his fists, stood in the hallway outside the door and pointed his gun at him. He was bleeding from a bite wound to his abdomen and he looked simultaneously terrified and insane. Before he could pull the trigger, a Walker attacked him from the side. The man screamed and tripped over his own feet, falling backwards and sliding across the floor until all Daryl could see was his boot-clad feet. The Walker fell on him, teeth bared and the sounds of ripping flesh were heard over the man's dying screams. Another Walker appeared in the doorway and joined the first one, gnawing and biting into the man's flesh. As a third Walker limped into view, Daryl froze. It did no good. Instead of joining the other two, the Walker turned and peered into the room. Half of his face was missing, blown away by the blast of a shotgun but Daryl doubted it would stop him from tearing out his throat.

As the Walker lumbered into the room, Daryl yelled at it, "C'mon then ya sumbitch! I ain't got all day!"

The Walker closed in on him, hands reaching for him eagerly. The cavernous hole that had replaced most of its mouth twitched; Daryl could see a few remaining teeth and knew there was enough of them to bite into his skin.

A hand appeared on the top of the Walker's head gripping its hair and the Walker was thrown to the floor, a large section of its scalp and hair tearing off in Amelia's hand as it fell. Before the dead man could stagger to its feet, Amelia raised the bat she was holding and bashed it into his forehead. It caved in the soft rotting skull of the Walker with the sound of a wet dishcloth being dropped on the floor. Blood spattered in a fine spray, coating her legs and Daryl's. With a small grunt of effort she hit it again. A large portion of its brain oozed out of the shattered remains of its skull. The Walker made one final twitch and then grew still.

Breathing heavily, Amelia pulled the knife from her belt and quickly sliced through the ropes around his feet, keeping an eye on the Walker's behind them snacking on her dead companion. She had his crossbow over her shoulder and before she cut the ropes around his wrists, she placed it on his lap. He stamped his feet experimentally and rubbed his wrists where the ropes had dug in as she stood and ran to the closet in the corner of the room.

"Here." She tossed his t-shirt, leather vest and boots at him. He shrugged into them quickly as she picked up her bat and nervously eyed the Walker's still munching in the hallway.

"What happened?" he whispered.

"A herd, biggest one we've seen." She paused, fighting back tears. "They've already killed most of us. I thought we were prepared." She stopped, swallowing hard and pulling a set of keys from the light jacket she was wearing. The keys jingled lightly in her trembling hands. Afraid she would drop them he took them from her and held them firmly in one hand.

"There's a blue truck parked to the left of the farmhouse. I think we can make it if we go now." She gripped the blood-soaked bat tightly in one hand and advanced towards the door. The two Walkers in the hallway had their faces buried in the abdomen of the dead man, tearing and chewing on pieces of his intestine. She gagged softly and slipped past them. Occupied with the fresh meal in front of them they paid no attention to her or Daryl as they crept down the hall towards the stairs.

At the top of the stairs she stopped and peered cautiously around the large living room. It was empty but Daryl could hear the familiar shuffling and moaning from the kitchen only a few feet away. She placed her finger to her lips and he nodded at her irritably.

Slowly they crossed the living room and down the hallway to the front door. From outside came the sounds of dying men. There were only sporadic bursts of gunfire now. The Walkers were winning. She leaned towards him and breathed into his ear, "The truck is to the left. We can go down the porch, over the railing and the truck's parked maybe 20 feet away. Ready?"

He nodded again and brought his crossbow up as she slowly opened the door. He surveyed the carnage before him. At least eight bodies lay in the front yard, with 3 or 4 Walkers at each one, ripping and tearing into them. As they hurried down the porch, Daryl watched a Walker across the yard take down a large-bellied man in a combat vest. The man screamed as the Walker bit into his ear, tearing most of it off. Amelia made a small whimpering noise but kept moving.

As they leaped over the railing of the porch and dropped the short distance to the ground below them, a Walker limped towards them. She was missing an arm and her broken foot dragged behind her. Amelia raised her bat but Daryl quickly shot it through the head with an arrow, reaching down and yanking the arrow free as they ran past the fallen Walker.

They were nearly at the truck when a piercing scream made them both turn. A middle-aged Hispanic woman was fleeing across the yard towards a battered, brown SUV dragging a small child with her. She reached for the door handle, yanked it open and screamed again as a Walker appeared from behind the vehicle and latched onto her neck. Blood sprayed from her jugular vein and her scream became a gurgle. The child dropped her hand and backed up a few feet before stopping. She turned away and placed her thumb in her mouth; her eyes had become the blank stare of a shock victim.

"FUCK!" Amelia cried. She ran towards the child, ignoring Daryl's yells for her to come back. Halfway towards the girl she heard the sound of the truck starting up and although she cursed Daryl in her head for leaving them, she didn't stop her sprint towards the child. From the corner of her eye she could see a Walker staggering towards her. She weaved to the right and swung the bat. It smashed into the shoulder of the Walker hard enough to send it tumbling to the ground.

Another Walker was behind the child and as it reached for her, Amelia dropped the bat, pulled the knife from her belt and leaped forward knocking the little girl to the ground with one arm. She drove the knife directly between the Walker's empty eyes. It dropped to the ground as the Walker she had hit with the bat crawled towards her. She screamed in fear and rage and stomped on its head with the heel of her boot. The skull caved in easily beneath her foot and she nearly collapsed on top of the Walker. She snatched the child off the ground. It was like picking up a stuffed doll and as she turned back for the farmhouse she heard the welcoming sound of a truck roaring towards her. Daryl squealed to a stop throwing dust and dirt into her face. She wrenched open the door and threw the little girl into the truck as easily as a rag doll.

As she climbed into the truck Daryl yelled "Behind you!" She didn't stop to think, just shot her right foot out where it connected solidly with the face of the Walker reaching for her. It was driven backwards to the ground behind her and she dropped on to the seat of the truck as Daryl shifted into gear and tore across the yard. The force of his acceleration slammed her door shut and she sat up, gathering the small child in her arms and holding her tightly as they drove across the yard. Daryl stomped on the gas; tires squealed and smoked as they drove down the driveway and onto the road.

Still clutching the child against her chest she stared out the front window. Tears rolled down her cheek and she wiped them away angrily as Daryl drove them away from the carnage.

He glared at her, "I told you nowhere was safe." He spoke more harshly than he had intended but the scene at the farmhouse had reminded him too much of an earlier one.

She nodded silently. He was right; they had been fucking fools.

"Ya okay?" he asked gruffly.

She nodded again. "Yeah. Thanks for picking us up." She looked down at the silent child in her arms. She still had her thumb in her mouth and was staring up at Amelia. The vacant, dead look in her eyes was enough to seriously creep Amelia out.

He nodded. "What's her name?" he gestured to the child.

"Ellie." She answered.

As he drove them further away from the farmhouse Amelia talked quietly to Ellie, trying to get the young girl to respond to her. It wasn't working; the child had completely withdrawn into herself.

Amelia sighed and looked up, squinting at the landscape. "Where are we going?"

He glanced at her. "We're going to find MY people."

He paused and said almost too softly for her to hear, "My friends."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Amelia shifted Ellie to a more comfortable position on her lap. "How far away is your group?"

He shrugged, "I have no idea. It's been 2 days. They'll assume I'm dead and moved on by now.

She stared at him aghast. "They wouldn't look for you? Or wait a few days? What kind of people are they?"

He glared at her, "We spent weeks searching for a little girl that went missing from our camp." His hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly enough to turn his knuckles white. "It ended badly."

He paused, "Besides, I know the risks going into the woods to hunt alone. They'd be right to move on."

"Then why go alone? Surely it's better to hunt for food in pairs." She asked.

He shrugged again, "Sometimes it's good to be alone."

"But," she shook her head in bewilderment, "You could die out there. What if you had gotten hurt? Or lost? Or a herd of Walkers found you?"

He laughed, "You're one to talk little girl. If I hadn't heard you screamin' you'da been Walker bait."

She flushed, "One – I am not a little girl. Two – I killed four Walkers before you even showed up and three – I had a very good reason to be out in the forest alone. I wasn't out there just because I needed some "alone" time."

He glanced at her, "You said they were bad people. What did they do?"

She stared at the silent child in her lap, "I would prefer not to talk about it."

"I don't give a shit what ya prefer." He frowned, "You best tell me what happened or I'll kick you and the kid out of this truck right here."

She glared at him, "You're a real asshole. You know that?"

He nodded, "Yep."

She stared unseeingly out the window of the truck. "About a week ago or maybe it was two, I'm not really sure now. The days just seem to –"she gestured helplessly, "melt together. You know?"

He gave a small grunt of understanding.

"The men in our group came back from a hunting trip. One of the men, Tony, was hurt really bad. He had been shot in the chest; there was so much blood. The other men said they had been ambushed by a larger group of men. Our guys fought back and Tony was shot in the fight." She paused and chewed her bottom lip nervously.

"I was helping Melissa, she is – was – a nurse, try to stop the bleeding. I could tell by the look on her face that Tony wasn't going to make it but she didn't say a word to me. She kept yelling at Tony to hold on, that he would be fine. She bandaged him up as best she could but there was no way to get the bullet out. He was breathing out bubbles of blood, Melissa said it was internal bleeding, and so we just – just started a death watch."

She looked down at Ellie. Her thumb was still firmly stuck in her mouth but her eyes had closed and her breathing was slow and rhythmic.

"I was alone in the room with Tony. He was delirious by that point, dropping in and out of consciousness, and I think I must have dozed off because I remember opening my eyes and he was staring right at me. It scared the shit out of me." She looked down at her arms, not surprised to see they had broken out in goose bumps.

"He motioned me to come closer to him; I thought he would ask for a drink of water. Instead –" her throat suddenly dry, she swallowed painfully. "He was calm, lucid. He told me what really happened."

She could feel tears threatening and she blinked them back savagely.

"Go on." Daryl prompted.

"Tony said that they hadn't been ambushed, that they were the ones who had attacked the other group first. And the other group wasn't just men." There was another painful click as Amelia swallowed.

"There were women and children in the group and Tony said, he said –", now the tears did fall, "they just slaughtered them all - men, women, children. They killed all of them." She looked at Daryl, her face pale. "Tony was shot by one of their men. Our guys loaded him in the truck but he could hear them. They were gathering the guns and all the supplies they could find from the other group. Tony said he could hear them laughing and joking while they did it. "

She stared at him with haunted eyes, "They were _laughing_."

She eased one hand out from under the sleeping child and wiped away the wetness on her cheeks. "That's when I knew I had to leave. I couldn't stay there, not after that. I packed some supplies, slipped into the woods and tried to disappear. Then you saved me, they found us both and you know the rest."

She waited for his reaction, staring dully out the window. Just the memory of what Tony had told her made her throat burn and her stomach churn with nausea.

He asked a question she wasn't expecting, "What happened to Tony after he died?"

She stared at him, "Well, the shooting was almost a blessing really. He had been bitten and didn't tell us. If he hadn't been shot he would have turned on us within days. Melissa and Michael were with him when he died and she said he turned almost immediately. Michael put him down."

"Did you see a bite on him?" Daryl asked.

"What do you mean?" she replied.

"Did you see a bite on him? When you were cleaning him up from the gunshot, did he have a bite or scratches visible?" he asked impatiently.

"I don't know." She admitted. "I wasn't looking for bites or scratches and there was so much blood."

"Besides, what does it matter? He turned so he was obviously bitten." She was puzzled by his question.

He didn't reply.

"Do you have any idea where you're going?" she asked him. She shifted Ellie again. The girl was getting heavy but she wasn't ready to set her down on the seat between them yet.

He squinted out the window at the sun. "I'm headed back to where our camp was. How far away were you from the farmhouse when your people caught up to us?"

"I had hiked for most of the day before I ran into the Walkers." She answered.

He squinted at the sun again. "You headed north, right."

She nodded, "That's right. How did you know that? You were unconscious the entire way back to the farm."

He shrugged, "I'm good at finding my way around. How did they find us?"

She laughed bitterly, "Dumb luck. Michael, Ron and Tom were on a "scavenging" trip. They had driven about 3 hours to a small town and on the way home they decided to stop and try a quick hunt for some fresh meat. They literally stumbled onto us."

He cocked his head at her, "How did you explain what you were doing out there?"

"I told them I had gotten lost."

He squinted at her, "And they believed ya?"

"They had their suspicions." She smoothed Ellie's hair from her forehead. "They knocked you out, dragged you back to the truck and we drove back to the farmhouse."

"How long did it take to get back to the farmhouse?"

She thought for a minute, "Nearly 3 hours I think."

He checked the gas gauge on the truck. "We'll drive for a few hours then and see if we can find where my people had set up camp. I was only about a mile or so from camp when I found you and we were camped maybe a mile or two in from the main road."

She worried at her bottom lip, "Do you think that will work?"

"It's as good a place to start as any." He scratched at the stubble along his jawline. "If it's the right spot, I'll know quick enough."

"But how?" she frowned at him. "The woods are massive. I don't understand how you think you can - "

"Christ woman! Do ya always ask these many questions? Do me a favor and shut your mouth for a while." He raked a hand through his hair irritably. "Have a little faith for Chrissake."

"Fine!" She scowled and stared out the window. If he wanted quiet, she would give him quiet.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Wake up." A hand shook her arm roughly and Amelia started up, her hand automatically reaching for her missing knife. She looked around, frightened and confused, until she saw Ellie's sleeping form on the truck seat next to her and the day came flooding back. She looked out her window, it was fogged from her breath, and she had to wipe it clear with her shirt sleeve. Daryl had parked the truck in a large pullout area off the main road. In the fading light, she could see that it had been a nice one. There were a few picnic tables set up for traveling families to eat lunch and what looked like a hiking path leading into the woods. To the right there were two small buildings – outhouses from the look of it.

She yawned. "How long was I sleeping?"

"Bout 2 hours or so." He answered.

"Is this where we're going to look for your people?" she asked.

"Nah." He shook his head. "I don't remember this area so we must have stopped and hiked into the woods before this spot. It's getting dark though; we'll spend the night here in the truck and go on in the morning."

He sat back in his seat and rubbed his head tiredly. "Be nice if we had some food."

She twisted in her seat and leaned over the back of it, rummaging in the back seat of the truck. Daryl stared at her jean-clad bottom with more than a passing interest. She popped back up, holding a bulky backpack, and smiled at him triumphantly. Being careful not to disturb the sleeping Ellie, she heaved the backpack over the seat and dropped it into his lap. It was heavy and he unzipped it to find 6 large bottles of water and a substantial amount of canned beans, soups and canned fruits. She leaned over Ellie and unzipped a side pocket, producing some camping spoons and a can opener.

"The hell woman?" he eyed the food and water in disbelief.

"I told you I was coming up with a plan to get us both out of there." She grinned a little. "I've also got 2 blankets, a pillow and some extra clothes for both of us in another bag under the seat. This morning before dawn, I stole the keys from Ron and packed the supplies in the truck. I was going to sneak us both out tonight." Her smile faltered, remembering why her original plan failed, and she glanced down at Ellie.

Daryl followed her gaze. "Was that woman her mama?" he asked.

"Maria?" she shook her head. "No, we don't know where Ellie's parents are. We found her awhile back. She was hiding out in the backroom of a grocery store in one of the towns we stopped in. She was living on cookies and apple juice from the store. It was just Michael, Alicia, Maria and I at that time."

Although Ellie was still sleeping, she lowered her voice, "Michael almost killed her. She was crouched in the back room, her back to us, wouldn't turn around when we called out to her. Michael was sure she was a Walker. Maria just about had a fit when she saw him with his axe out. She ran over and picked Ellie up before we could stop her. Luckily she turned out to be normal."

She paused, "Well, as normal as she could be. She took to Maria right away but even Maria couldn't get her to talk about her parents. We have no idea what happened to them or how long she was on her own. She's only 5. It's a miracle she survived."

Amelia rubbed Ellie's back, "I should wake her up. She needs to drink and eat something. Probably use the washroom."

She peered out the window at the two buildings, "Think those are bathrooms?"

Daryl nodded. "More'n likely."

As Ellie began to stir on the seat between them, Amelia leaned over and unzipped the larger of the side pockets on the backpack. She rummaged for a bit before pulling out a roll of toilet paper and a large flashlight.

Daryl couldn't help but laugh. "Think of everything don't ya?"

She grinned, "Always be prepared."

An hour or so later, Amelia stared worriedly at Ellie. The little girl appeared to be in an almost catatonic state. After waking her, Amelia had carried her to the outhouses, waiting nervously while Daryl scouted in the building and around it for Walkers. They were lucky, the area seemed to be Walker-free, and she had hurried the small child into the outhouse. She had gone to the bathroom but only after Amelia had placed her on the toilet and urged her to go.

She had even drank some water and eaten a small amount of the canned beans and canned fruit but Amelia had to feed her like she was a baby and encourage her to chew and swallow the food. She refused to speak and her vacant, empty eyes stared through both her and Daryl.

After another quick trip to the outhouse, in the short while they had been there the temperature had dropped significantly and both Amelia and Ellie shook from the cold, the three of them had settled in to spend the night in the truck.

Amelia chewed at her bottom lip. "I don't really know what else to do." She confessed to Daryl. "Frankly, I'm not that good with children and I wasn't really close to Ellie. She stuck mostly with Maria and Ron."

Daryl spooned the last of the canned peaches he was eating into his mouth, "Don't look at me. I ain't good with kids either."

Amelia sighed and leaned over the back of the seat, rummaging through the second backpack she had placed on the narrow bench-like seat in the back. Although she had extra clothing for her and Daryl, she had obviously packed nothing for Ellie. The truck was growing colder and Amelia wrapped Ellie in the hooded sweatshirt she had packed for herself. Ellie was already starting to drift off again as Amelia bundled her in the sweatshirt and then wrapped one of the blankets she had packed, around the girl's slender frame. She folded her extra pants and placed them on the back seat of the truck, and with Daryl's help, lifted the child into the back seat, laying her head on the makeshift pillow and tucking the blanket more securely around her. The girl's body was cocooned within the blanket and sweatshirt; only her small, pale face was visible in the light of the flashlight.

Amelia brushed her hand against the girl's forehead. It was waxy and cool without any sign of fever, but she didn't like how easily the little girl was slipping back into sleep.

She sat back against her seat, squinting at Daryl, "She's in shock." She shrugged helplessly, "I don't know what to do for her."

He studied her face, "You done everything you can."

She nodded and pulled the second backpack from the back seat. She withdrew another hooded sweatshirt and tossed it to Daryl. "Here, it will be way too big, the only one I could easily snitch was Ron's and he outweighs -" she hesitated, "outweighed you by about 100 pounds."

Daryl put the sweatshirt on as she leaned over and pulled the pillow out from under the seat and handed it to him. She pulled the second blanket from the bottom of the backpack, shook it out, and then peered into the back seat. Most of the seat was taken up by Ellie's sleeping form and besides, she thought ruefully, the bench seat was way too narrow for her. She had lost probably 25 pounds since the end of the world, mostly due to lack of food and an abundance of exercise, but she was never going to have a small butt or thin hips.

She sat back in the front seat, Daryl was looking at her but it was completely dark now and the light from the flashlight was too dim to allow her to read the expression on his face.

She cleared her throat nervously, "I thought since you have a sweatshirt I would use the blanket?"

He nodded. "Ain't ya gonna climb in the back with the girl?"

"There isn't enough room." She tried to lighten the tension, "My hips are way too big for a bench seat."

He eyed her pelvis, "Seem fine to me."

She blushed, remembering how she had thrown herself at him when he was tied up and helpless, and hurriedly changed the subject. "I figured I could just curl up at this end of the seat and you can use the pillow and stretch out at your end."

He regarded her gravely, "I can sleep sitting up and I don't need no pillow."

She shook her head, "You'll need to be well-rested and alert for tomorrow." She gave him a wan smile, "As much as this pains me to admit, you're a much better Walker killer than I am."

"That ain't no secret little girl." He scoffed.

She tamped down her irritation at being referred to as a little girl. "Yeah, well all I'm saying is you need a good night's rest. You couldn't have slept well tied to that chair – you must be exhausted."

He shifted until he was stretched out along the seat. She noticed he didn't let his legs or feet touch her as he tucked the pillow behind his head and zipped the too-large sweatshirt up to his chin. He pulled the hood over his head until it covered his eyes and folded his arms over his chest.

She pushed her boots off and curled up on the seat, tucking her legs and feet under her and spreading the blanket over herself. It was larger than she needed and she spread the unused part over Daryl's legs and feet.

He didn't respond or even twitch at the touch of the blanket, he appeared to be sleeping already, and she marveled at his ability to drift off so quickly. She switched off the flashlight, placing it within reaching distance on the seat, and leaned her head against the cold window. Despite the blanket, she could already feel the cold seeping into her bones and she shivered a little. It would be a long night.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Amelia jerked awake. It was completely black in the truck and she winced at the painful crick in her neck. She had dozed off with her head leaning against the glass and her neck was stiff and sore from the unnatural position.

It was cold in the cab of the truck and despite the blanket wrapped around her she was freezing. She tried to keep her teeth from chattering and rubbed her icy hands together under the blanket. She was wide awake now, too uncomfortable and cold to go back to sleep. She glanced to her left at the sleeping form of Daryl. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and she could see him sleeping in the same position he had been before.

Worrying that Ellie was freezing too, she steeled herself against the cold and pushed back the blanket. She moved slowly, trying not to disturb Daryl. Her whole body had broken out in goose bumps and her teeth were chattering harder than ever.

Leaning into the back seat she peered at Ellie. The girl had wiggled one hand free and her thumb was securely in her mouth. Amelia slipped her hand in between the sweatshirt and Ellie's body. She felt warm enough to Amelia so she tucked the blanket more securely around her and eased back to the front seat, trying to avoid Daryl's legs and feet. A hard hand closed around her wrist and she gasped in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Daryl's raspy voice broke the quiet.

"Just checking on Ellie." She whispered. He was still holding her wrist and she tried to tug herself free. He refused to let go and took her cold fingers in his own.

"You're freezing."

"I'm fine." She responded.

"Oh yeah? 'Cause your teeth chattering and shaking woke me up." He said grouchily.

She sighed exasperatedly, "So sorry. I'll try to keep the teeth chattering to a minimum." Feeling angry and tired and scared, she attempted again to pull free, wanting nothing more than to curl back up under her blanket and try to warm up.

Instead of letting her go he pulled her towards him with a hard tug. She lost her balance and fell against him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, struggling to sit up.

He hooked his hands under her arms and half-lifted, half-dragged her up his body until she was lying against him.

"Stop your damn squirming." He grumbled. "I ain't never gonna fall asleep with you making the whole truck shake with your shivering." He leaned forward and snagged the blanket around his legs. Amelia, too tired and cold to argue, helped him drape the blanket over their bodies. She buried her face in his neck and he grumbled a little about her cold nose but didn't pull away.

Amelia shook and shivered and tried to keep her teeth from chattering. Despite Daryl's body heat she felt chilled to the bone. After a few minutes, Daryl sighed irritably and reached between them, unzipping the sweatshirt he was wearing.

"Here, this damn thing's big enough for the both of us." He opened the sweatshirt and Amelia scooted closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his trim waist, placing her cold hands on the small of his back and pressing her upper body against his. Daryl zipped the sweatshirt up around the both of them, repositioned the blanket and pulled the hood of the sweatshirt back over his head. He rested his chin against her head, she could feel the gentle scratchiness of his stubble against her forehead, and he roughly rubbed her back in an effort to quell her shaking.

Amelia shifted her lower body trying to find a comfortable spot for her legs. Without saying anything Daryl reached down and grasped her thigh in his hand. She didn't resist when he pulled her legs apart and pushed one leg between her own until she was straddling his hard thigh, her hip wedged between his body and the back of the seat.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded against his throat and although she felt like she should ask him to move his hand from her leg, she couldn't deny that his touch was comforting to her.

Within a few minutes the combination of the blanket and Daryl's body heat began to warm Amelia. As she grew warmer she could feel the tension leaving her body and surprisingly, began to feel tired.

"Let me know when I get too heavy." She murmured sleepily. "I'll move."

"Ayuh." He grunted, knowing he wouldn't. As Amelia slipped into sleep he bent his head and breathed in the scent of her hair. He reached up and held a strand of her dark hair between his fingers. It was silky soft and he brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. Her face was tucked into his throat but he didn't need to see her face to remember how soft her lips had been against his. He reached around and ran his thumb across her cheek and over her bottom lip. She stirred against him and sighed. Just the feel of her breath on his throat was enough to give him an erection and he snatched his hand away from her mouth, heart thudding in his chest. His hand still gripped her thigh and he could feel her breasts pushing against his chest. Irritated by his reaction to her, he leaned back against the pillow in an attempt to put a bit of distance between them. It didn't work. Amelia, apparently not willing to give up her heat source, snuggled even closer. Still sleeping, she muttered something he didn't understand but he jerked, releasing his breath harshly, when her lips brushed the hollow of his throat.

He was wide awake now, a full-blown erection throbbing in his pants, and he cursed quietly. He was going insane. He was a Dixon for God's sake and it wasn't like him to let a woman affect him so easily. If Merle could see him now, cuddling a woman like a little pansy, he would kick his ass. Although he wasn't as bad as Merle, who believed that women had only very limited uses, he had damn little experience with them and the experience he did have wasn't in holding them or wondering how soft their skin was. Merle wouldn't care if the woman froze to death or not. The reminder of his brother, the realization that he still had no idea if Merle was dead or alive, was enough to cool his desire. He pressed his head into his pillow and stared at the ceiling of the truck, trying to ignore both the painful memories and the woman in his arms.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Amelia." The now familiar raspy voice sent shivers down her spine. She stretched against his hard body, not sure which felt better on her skin, the warm sun or his rough hand stroking her bare hip.

"Open your eyes, Amelia." The voice cajoled softly. She opened her eyes, blinking at the bright sun before Daryl's head hovered over hers, blocking the sunlight.

She looked around in confusion. Her brain registered the softness of the bed under her, the warmth of Daryl's nakedness against her own naked skin. They were lying in a large bed, in a sun-kissed meadow covered with thousands of white daisies. The flowers wavered back and forth in the slight breeze and the sheer volume of petals brushing against each other made it sound like the flowers were whispering softly.

She arched her back in silent supplication when Daryl ran his hand up her side and cupped her breast. He ran a thumb over her nipple, smiling at the way it tightened under his touch. "You're so beautiful Amelia." He whispered. He bent his head and trailed a path of light kisses down her throat. She moaned at the feel of his tongue in the hollow of her throat.

She gripped his head in her hands and tugged gently until he looked at her. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

He nodded solemnly, "Yes."

She smiled sadly, "I don't want to wake up."

He plucked gently at her nipple making her gasp and shudder beneath him. "You don't have to." He murmured and took her mouth in his.

Amelia ran her hands down Daryl's back. The muscles tensed and contracted beneath her fingers as he kissed her softly and gently, his tongue lightly stroking hers. He placed one hard hand against her inner thigh and pushed delicately. She let her legs fall open, gripping Daryl's back as he moved between her thighs. She thrust her hips against him and he smiled at her eagerness.

"Daryl, please." She moaned.

He bent his head and placed a gentle kiss in the hollow between her breasts. She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair, tugging him towards her nipple. As he moved his head obligingly, she closed her eyes and turned her face to the side. A shadow fell over her face and frowning, she opened her eyes. Her mouth dropped open in wordless horror. Michael, his face ripped open and plastered with gore and tags of flesh, peered at her. His brown eyes were covered in the white film of death and she could feel his fingers scraping along her arm. He leaned closer, his mouth opened to reveal black and rotting teeth and she wanted to scream but she couldn`t breathe, couldn`t speak. Daryl`s weight was suddenly crushing her to the bed and she squirmed and wriggled and pushed against him, struggling to free herself.

"Amelia." Daryl's voice muttered in her ear. "Stop it. Wake up!"

She tore herself up and out of her dream. She opened her eyes, heart thudding painfully in her chest, to find Daryl staring at her worriedly. Still not fully out of her dream world she struggled to get away from him but was pinned to his body by the blanket and the sweatshirt.

Daryl winced painfully as her hands dug into the scars on his back. "Amelia stop!" he grunted. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her firmly. "You were dreaming. Wake up."

"Dreaming." She repeated after him. She strained against the back of the sweatshirt, still trying to get away from him. He didn't like the way she looked, her eyes wide and startled, mouth trembling, body shaking against his.

"Yes, dreaming." He drew her closer to him, forcing her head down on his shoulder. He slipped his hands under the sweatshirt and rubbed her back through her thin t-shirt. "It was just a dream. You're safe."

"Safe." She finally stopped struggling and went limp against him. She closed her eyes and took a few deep shuddering breaths against Daryl's throat. She forced herself to breathe deeply, inhaling Daryl's scent as he continued to rub her back.

After a few moments she dropped her hands from around his waist, sat up and leaned back as far as the sweatshirt would allow her. She stared at Daryl. He had dropped his hands to her hips and now he shifted her slightly, moving his leg so that she had enough room to straddle his thigh, her leg squeezed between the back of the seat and his leg. He kept his hands clamped familiarly around her hips.

Amelia guessed it was just after dawn. The truck was washed in cold, grey light and the woods beyond the buildings of the pullout area were still hidden in dark shadows.

"Want to tell me about it?" he asked gruffly.

She slipped her hand up between them and rubbed tiredly at her face. "Usual end-of-the-world dream." she smiled wearily at him.

Not thinking, she continued, "I was with you in a meadow and you were…" she trailed off.

Daryl stared at her, wondering why her cheeks were suddenly so flushed. "I was what?" he frowned.

"Never mind, it's not important." She shook her head, her blush deepening even further.

Suddenly irritated with her, he squeezed her hips and glared at her, "Tell me what I was doing in the meadow."

"I told you," she hissed, "It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk about it." She reached behind her, groping for the zipper of the sweatshirt, but the memory of the pleasant beginning of her dream and the way his hard hands gripped her hips were flustering her. She wriggled and fidgeted on his leg, ignoring the warmth spreading through her lower body at the feel of his hard thigh against her, straining for the zipper on the sweatshirt.

"Stop your squirming." He muttered but made no effort to help her. His eyes dropped to her mouth as she chewed worriedly at her bottom lip.

"And stop chewin' on your damn lip. You're gonna make it bleed."

"How about you stop telling me what to do?" she scowled at him. Angry with him now, she reached down and ripped his hands from her hips.

"Do you mind?" she grumbled at him. "Help me with the zipper; I want to get away from you."

He just stared at her and she suddenly felt very much like a mouse under the steady gaze of a cat.

"Tell me about your dream and I'll help you with the zipper." He shrugged amiably.

"You're being an asshole again. You know that right?" she snarled and shoved at his chest ineffectually.

Quick as a cat, he sat up and reaching under the sweatshirt, grabbed her wrists and held them tightly behind her back. He leaned forward until his chest was grazing her breasts and his face was only inches from hers.

"Tell me about your dream and I'll let you go." He whispered persuasively.

Blushing so fiercely now she was almost glowing, she dropped her eyes to his chin and sighed. "We were in a meadow and we were," she hesitated, "you were kissing me. " She was not going to tell him they were also naked and lying in a bed together.

"Then Michael showed up and he was a Walker and – " she paused again, "and then you woke me up."

She forced herself to look him in the eye but he was staring at her mouth. Helpless to stop herself, she licked her suddenly-dry bottom lip. He breathed in sharply at the sight of her tongue.

"Kissing." He muttered. "How did I kiss you?

She cleared her throat nervously, "What do you mean? We were just kissing."

He dipped his head until his mouth was almost touching hers. "Show me."

She shuddered at the feel of his warm breath on her lips "What?"

"Show me how I kissed you."

"Daryl, I don't think this –"

He interrupted her, "I said show me."

She licked her lips again and then quickly, lightly, like the touch of a butterfly, she pressed her lips against his.

"Like that." She whispered.

"Exactly like that?" he whispered back.

"Mostly like that." She admitted.

He opened his eyes, the desire in them was obvious, and her body reacted instantly, her belly flooding with heat.

"Show me exactly." he demanded.

Moaning a little, she kissed him again. This time she let her lips linger on his and probed gently at his mouth with her tongue. He opened it and she pushed her tongue delicately into his mouth, licking at his tongue with soft gentle strokes. He groaned into her mouth and, with great effort, she pulled her mouth from his.

Panting lightly, Daryl opened his eyes. "Didja like it?"

"What?" she asked

"The kissing in the dream. Didja like it?"

She nodded. She could feel the blush rising again but she couldn't lie to him about it.

"That's too bad." He whispered.

She frowned at him. "I don't…what?"

"It's too bad you liked it. I don't kiss that way."

Before she could react to that comment he released her wrists and gripped the back of her neck. He kissed her roughly, forcing her mouth open wide as he thrust his tongue between her lips. She moaned into his mouth and gripped his shoulders, kissing him back and relishing the feel of his hard mouth on hers.

He reached behind her and tore down the zipper of the sweatshirt, pulling it roughly from her shoulders. She gasped at the feel of the cold air biting through the fabric of her thin t-shirt and pushed herself against him, seeking his warmth. His hands were rough on her skin but she sighed with pleasure when he cupped her breast through the fabric and ran his thumb over her nipple.

He tugged on her hair, pulling her head back so that he could trail a path of hot kisses down her throat. She slipped her hands under his shirt and ran her hands across his chest. When he pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, she gasped and dug her nails into his chest. He groaned and pulled her t-shirt off, staring hungrily at her breasts clad in a simple white bra. He leaned forward and kissed between her breasts, eliciting a low moan of desire from her. A snippet of her dream came back to her and she stiffened in fear for a moment. He lifted his head and placed a rough kiss on the line of her jaw.

"Okay?" he asked hoarsely

"Yes." She responded. She whimpered with desire when he captured one fabric covered nipple in his mouth. He teased it with his teeth and tongue while she clung to his shoulders and shuddered against him. She still straddled his thigh and she could feel his erection pushing against her leg. She rubbed herself eagerly against his thigh as he moved to her other breast, licking and nipping through the fabric.

"Please." She moaned. Her whole body was on fire. She had never felt this kind of need before and she dug her fingers into Daryl's shoulders. He stroked her back with his fingers and reached for the clasp of her bra as she kissed him almost frantically.

Before he could release the clasp, a high keening noise tore them apart. Panting harshly, they stared at each other.

"Do you hear that?" Daryl asked?

She nodded.

"What the hell is it?" he asked.

She shook her head until the light of understanding dawned in her eyes. "Ellie!" she gasped and leaned over the seat to look at the girl.

She still seemed to be asleep, her eyes squeezed shut against the light, but a high-pitched whine was emerging from her lips.

She pushed herself away from Daryl, plucking her t-shirt from the seat and struggling into it. Avoiding Daryl's gaze she leaned into the back seat and slipped her hand into the blanket, rubbing Ellie's back soothingly.

"Ellie honey, it's okay. Wake up." She picked up the girl with a grunt of effort and pulled her into the front seat with them. She cuddled the young girl on her lap, rubbing her back and stroking her hair while she rocked gently back and forth.

The keening noise stopped abruptly and Amelia looked into Ellie's face. Her eyes were open now but they still seemed to stare through her. Amelia pulled the child to her breast again, "It's okay Ellie. You're safe. Shhh, it was just a bad dream."

She glanced at Daryl. He was staring at her and Ellie and she gave him a weak smile. "I think she's okay now. She probably needs to use the washroom and we should have something to eat."

He nodded and reached for his crossbow under the seat.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Daryl, this is not a good idea." Amelia peered nervously out the side window of the truck at the thick maze of trees.

He shrugged, "Don't have much of a choice."

Amelia rubbed her arms, stalling for time, while she tried to think of an alternate plan. Daryl had parked on the side of the road at, what he believed, to be the spot he and his friends had stopped a few days earlier. Although how he knew that was beyond Amelia. The patch of woods in front of them looked exactly the same to her as the last 10 miles of woods. She stared at Daryl from the corner of her eye. He was staring moodily out the window of the truck, holding his crossbow, fingers absentmindedly stroking the feathered tip of one arrow. She shivered a little, heat unfurling in her belly, at the memory of those same rough fingers stroking her skin.

"Get a grip on yourself." She scolded herself in her head. Since Ellie had interrupted them this morning, Daryl had been surly and quiet. He ignored her attempts at conversation and refused to look directly at her. He avoided touching her and was careful to keep a safe distance between them in the truck.

She sighed quietly. This was twice now she had thrown herself at Daryl. What was wrong with her? In the side mirror she could still see faint red marks on her neck from Daryl's stubble. She cleared her throat loudly but he didn't glance at her.

"Seriously girl – stop this. You're a grown woman. Stop acting like a horny teenager who can't keep her hands to herself. He doesn't appreciate your forwardness." She admonished herself again.

She frowned as a quiet little voice inside of her whispered wryly, "He kissed you back. Rather thoroughly. Remember?"

"I didn't give him much choice. I practically pinned him down and forced him to kiss me." She argued.

"Oh really? You _forced_ him? And that hardness you felt against your leg was what then? " her inner voice had a tinge of amusement.

Savagely, Amelia muzzled her inner voice and forced herself to focus on the dilemma at hand.

"Daryl," she spoke in a soft and what she hoped, was a reasonable tone, "It's not a good idea for you to be out in the woods alone. We shouldn't split up."

He repeated himself, "Don't have much choice." He glanced at the girl in the back. "We can't leave her alone, she'll slow us down if she'll even walk, and she's too heavy to carry."

Amelia stared at Ellie. The young girl was sitting cross-legged in the back seat. Her thin body was wrapped in the blanket, it was still chilly in the truck even with the sun up, and her thumb was back in her mouth. She was awake, at least her eyes were open, but she stared straight ahead and didn't acknowledge either her or Daryl.

Amelia sighed; she knew Daryl was right. It was faster and easier for him to make the trek alone to his campsite, but while she had no wish to be stranded by herself with a practically comatose child, it was the thought of Daryl venturing into the woods alone that made her stomach twist.

"What if something happens to you?" she asked quietly.

He snorted, "Ain't nothin' gonna happen to me."

"But if it does?" she insisted.

He shrugged, "I shouldn't be more than a few hours. If I'm not back by tomorrow morning, assume I'm dead and take the girl and leave."

She immediately shook her head. "No way, not a chance Daryl."

"Jesus woman." He grimaced and rubbed a hand through his hair, "If I'm not back by the morning it means I'm dead. So take the fucking truck and go."

She glared at him, "I'm not abandoning you."

Before she knew what was happening, he slid across the seat and gripped her chin in his hand. For the first time since they had woken up, he looked directly at her.

"Amelia, this is not a choice. If I ain't back by the morning, you take the truck and you and the girl leave. Do you understand me?" He shook her head lightly, his blue eyes dark and unreadable.

"Yes." She whispered sulkily.

"Good." He leaned closer to her and for a brief moment she thought he was going to kiss her. Despite her annoyance with him, her breathing slowed and her lips parted in anticipation.

He didn't kiss her. In fact, he seemed to take no notice of her mouth at all. "Promise me."

Distracted by his closeness – she couldn't seem to stop staring at _his_ mouth - she didn't respond.

"Amelia." He squeezed her chin, "Promise me you'll take the truck and leave."

She tore her gaze from his mouth and stared into his eyes. "Fine." She muttered.

"Say it."

She tried to pull free of his hand but he tightened his grip.

"I am not a child Daryl." She protested.

"Say you promise." He said again. His voice had lowered to what she had begun to think of as "Daryl's stubborn voice" and she knew it was hopeless to argue.

"I promise." She said softly.

He grunted in satisfaction and dropped his eyes to her mouth. Her heart, which had finally slowed to a normal rate, immediately went into overdrive. She parted her lips, feeling a warm tingle of satisfaction when his eyes darkened. He ran his hand down her throat, his thumb pressing on her wildly beating pulse.

Unexpectedly he released her and pulled back to his side of the truck. Ignoring her feeling of disappointment, Amelia reached over the front seat, smiling at the non-responsive Ellie, and pulled a bottle of water from the backpack on the seat.

"Here." She thrust the bottle of water at him. He took it from her without looking in her direction.

He opened the truck door and slid out, shouldering the crossbow as he went. He stopped with the door open and without looking at her said, "Don't let nobody into the truck. I don't care if they're injured or normal. No one gets in the truck until I get back. Understand?"

She nodded, realized he couldn't see her nod, and cleared her throat, "Yes."

He looked over his shoulder at her, "Remember your promise Amelia."

He slammed the door shut and walked into the woods without looking back.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Thank God." Amelia muttered. She took a deep breath. For the first time since Daryl had disappeared into the woods the coil of tension in her belly loosened. She watched him scan the small ditch separating the road and the woods before trudging across it, head down against the cold wind.

"Look Ellie - Daryl's back." She had moved Ellie into the front seat after Daryl left and had spent most of the last 3 hours talking to the girl, trying to distract herself and get Ellie communicating again. She stroked the girl's hair and gently turned her head towards Daryl. "Aren't you glad he's back? I am." Ellie made no response, just stared blankly out the window.

Amelia frowned, "What is that on his belt? Is that..? Are those squirrels?" She reached over and unlocked the door on Daryl's side, squinting at his belt. Before she could confirm her suspicions, his lower half was hidden by the truck door and she had only a vague glimpse of him swinging something small and furry into the bed of the truck.

He hopped into the truck, started it up and pulled back onto the road. He swung the truck around and headed back in the direction of the farmhouse.

"What happened?" Amelia asked, irritated that he wasn't immediately telling her.

"They left me a note with instructions on where they're headed." Daryl stepped on the gas. Amelia secured Ellie's seatbelt and then her own.

"Where are they going?"

"This way." He nodded towards the road in front of them.

"Um yeah, I get that." Amelia tried to keep the irritation out of her voice. "I mean, where exactly are they trying to get to?"

He shrugged, "We don't know. After the farmhouse –" he paused, "we just wanted to keep moving and find someplace safe for the winter. "

"There isn't anywhere that's safe." She spoke softly, repeating the words he has snarled at her in the basement of the farmhouse.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "We should be able to catch up to them easily enough. They're only a day or two ahead of us."

"They headed in the direction of the Walker herd. Are you worried that they might..." she stopped, not sure how to phrase her question and not wanting to upset him.

He shook his head, "Nah. We've been avoiding houses or places on main roads. We drive during the day and camp a ways in the woods at night. Walkers tend to be singles or just a group of a few in the woods, less chance of being attacked by a herd." He scratched at the stubble on his throat, "Although it has happened." He finished darkly.

Although curious about the details of what Daryl had been through, Amelia decided she would have better luck in asking for information in small doses. Ellie leaned against her and Amelia felt a thread of hope that the girl was improving. She glanced down but Ellie had only slumped over in her sleep. She put her arm around Ellie and shifted her into a more comfortable position against her.

She stared out the window of the truck for a while before she remembered. With a small smile, she turned to Daryl, "What exactly did you throw into the bed of the truck?"

"What it look like?" he asked tersely.

Refusing to let his mood intimidate her, she said "Looked like squirrels."

"Ayuh." He grunted.

"So, do you often take out innocent squirrels?" she teased, hoping to get him to at least look at her.

When he didn't answer she tried again, "Were you involved in a squirrel-related incident as a child? Forced to swear revenge on every squirrel that unwisely crossed your path?"

Now he did look at her, but it was a look of such clear disdain that she recoiled. "Squirrels have plenty of protein. You'll be happy to have some hot food in your belly tonight I reckon."

He faced forward again and Amelia slumped against her seat, staring miserably out her window. Obviously he was in no mood to joke with her. She admonished herself not to take his mood personally. Despite what he said earlier, he had to be upset that his people left without him.

Daryl stared grimly out the window of the truck and tried to concentrate on his driving and not the woman beside him. It was nearly impossible. The sweet smell of her hair, the softness of her skin, the way her lips tasted, it had invaded his brain. This morning he had been so close to just taking her in the front of the truck. The way she blushed when he forced her to reveal the details of her dream, the gentleness of her kiss; he had lost control. He scowled at the sky. He hated losing control. Especially because of some damn woman.

He wasn't about to tell her this but he'd had a close call in the woods. He had been coming back from the old campsite, deep in a fantasy that involved a naked Amelia lying beneath him, all soft moans and warm and willing flesh, when he had suddenly caught movement to the left of him. He had turned to see a Walker only a few feet away. He had killed it quickly and efficiently but it had scared him badly that she could so occupy his thoughts he was almost Walker bait.

He gritted his teeth and stole a quick look at Amelia. She was staring out the window, her hand stroking Ellie's head. He shook his head and forced his attention back to the road. He just needed to stop thinking about her and avoid touching her. He needed to get a grip on himself and his lust.

The loud boom of thunder woke Amelia. She stretched and squinted out the window at the rapidly darkening sky.

"Where are we?" she glanced warily at Daryl.

"About 3 hours past your farmhouse." He replied.

"It looks like it's going to rain." She eased Ellie up into a sitting position. The girl was awake and Amelia reached into the seat behind her, grabbed a bottle of water and offered it to her. She wouldn't hold it but she drank willingly enough when Amelia held the bottle to her lips.

She took a drink herself and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had been asleep for nearly four hours. She actually felt more awake and alert then she had in days.

"Were there any signs of…" she swallowed, "Um, humans or Walkers when we went by the farmhouse?"

He shook his head. "No signs of anything."

Suddenly on the verge of tears, she turned away and stared out the window blindly. She had been desperate to get away from the group but she was still saddened and horrified by the tragedy at the farm. She thought about Alicia, the way she had always covered her mouth when she laughed, and about Michael and his sweetness. He had kissed her once. They had both been on watch and she had been surprised and a little embarrassed when he had awkwardly leaned in and kissed her.

It had been a sweet and gentle kiss, not one to take her breath away but, she acknowledged, they had been interrupted by Jose before it could go any further. She sneaked a look at Daryl. Maybe Michael's kisses given time, could have made her as hot and bothered as Daryl's kisses did. She snorted to herself. There was no way Michael, with his sweet and gentle personality, would have kissed her in the demanding way Daryl did and apparently, the way she liked.

"You wouldn't have thought there was any way that Michael could murder innocent women and children either." A small dark voice whispered in her head.

Amelia angrily wiped away the tears from her face. What did it matter now? Michael was dead, along with Ron and Jose and Maria and everyone else she had grown to care for.

Daryl startled her by taking a sudden left on to what appeared to be an abandoned logging road. As the truck lurched and bumped its way down the old dirt road, Amelia held onto the door handle with one hand and Ellie with the other.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"It's going to be dark soon. Might as well get off the main road and see what's down this road." He answered.

"Why don't we just find another pullout? Is this even a road?"

He glared at her, "It's safer if we're not on the highway."

"Okay." She muttered. "No need to be cranky."

They had driven for nearly half an hour, the road growing steadily worse. After a particularly large pothole that jolted both she and Ellie off the seat, Amelia was about to ask Daryl to turn back when he followed a sharp bend in the road and she let out a soft gasp of surprise. The road widened into a large clearing that once was well-maintained but was now overgrown with weeds and wildflowers. At the end of the clearing was a small log cabin. It looked abandoned, the curtains drawn on all the windows and no cars in the driveway to the right of it.

"How did you know this was here?" Amelia asked in astonishment.

"I didn't." Daryl said. "I saw a mailbox in the ditch back at the highway and took a chance."

He parked the truck beside the cabin and shut it off. Reaching for his crossbow, he glanced at her, "Stay here. I'm going to take a quick look around."

"Daryl wait!" She rolled her eyes in frustration as he opened the door and left the truck. Ellie made a small whimpering noise beside her.

"It's okay Ellie." She gathered the child into her lap and cuddled her. "Daryl's just going to check and see if there's anyone home."

She watched as Daryl quickly and efficiently checked around the cabin. She didn't realize she was holding her breath when he disappeared behind the cabin, until he returned and she released it in a harsh rush. Moving slowly and cautiously he climbed the steps onto the small front porch and tried the front door. Amelia scanned the windows, noting the shutters that could be closed against the glass, anxiously looking for any twitching or movement of the curtains that indicated someone was watching from within the cabin. The curtains remained still and limp as Daryl tested first one window and then the next.

Placing Ellie on the seat beside her, she opened her door and stood on the running board of the truck. Daryl turned and motioned angrily at her to get back in the truck. Ignoring him, she said softly, "Check under the flower pot."

He looked at her blankly. She pointed at the large flower pot next to the front door, the flowers planted in it long dead. "Check under the flower pot."

He bent and tipped the flower pot up before reaching under it. She could just make out the gleam of the key in his hand in the growing darkness. He nodded at her as she ducked back into the truck and shut the door.

She watched as he carefully unlocked the door, gently swinging it open and peering into the room before disappearing into the cabin. Once more she held her breath until he appeared back at the door. Taking a quick look around, he walked back to the truck and opened the door.

"It's empty." He opened the back door and gathered the backpacks up. "Grab the girl and let's go." He reached into the bed of the truck and grabbed the squirrels before shutting the door.

Holding Ellie, she walked quickly to the door of the cabin, acutely aware of Daryl's quick steps behind her.

Stepping into the cabin, she scanned the room quickly before placing Ellie on the small loveseat. It was a small cabin, obviously used for hunting or camping, but well laid out. The cabin itself was just one large room with the kitchen to the left and the living area to the right. Behind the loveseat was a nook that had a double bed with a small nightstand on one side of the bed and a dresser on the other. The living room consisted of the loveseat and two overstuffed armchairs. A fireplace was on the far wall with a small wooden rocker next to it.

Amelia glanced at the kitchen. There was a small wooden table against the wall under the window with three wooden chairs around it. The seat cushions were covered in a bright blue checkered fabric that matched the curtains in the window. There was no fridge but there was an old woodstove and a short counter with a metal sink and three cabinets above and below the counter. She wandered to the counter and stared at the faucet. It was an old fashioned pump and she pumped the handle experimentally a few times, delighted when she was rewarded with a steady stream of water.

"Do you think it's safe to drink?" she asked Daryl.

He placed the backpacks on the table and came over, dropping the three dead squirrels on the counter with a thump.

"Mos' likely. We'll boil it just to be safe." He answered.

She wandered back to the living room and sat on the loveseat with Ellie. "Isn't this a pretty cabin Ellie?" She pointed to a low bookshelf under the window in the living room. "I bet there will be some books we can read together."

"That door there leads to the bathroom." Daryl pointed to a door that she had missed in her initial scan of the room. "And the door over there is the back entrance to the cabin."

Leaving Ellie on the loveseat, she opened the door to the bathroom. It was small and a bit dusty but she smiled at the tiny sink equipped with yet another pump faucet and the toilet in the corner. She peered interestedly at the toilet as Daryl stood in the doorway.

"It's a composting toilet." She couldn't hide her delight at having an indoor toilet. The rest of the bathroom space was filled by a large metal tub. She stared curiously at it. Unlike the sinks the tub had no faucets but there was a drain in the bottom of the tub with a plug sitting beside it. A large metal bucket was in the bottom of the tub and two others were lined up neatly beside the tub.

"I guess they used the buckets to heat up water on the stove and fill the tub?" she looked questioningly at Daryl.

He shrugged, "Guess so."

She followed him out of the bathroom and stared longingly at the fireplace. It was chilly in the cabin and only going to get colder as night fell.

"Do you think it would be safe to start a fire?" she asked.

"We'll stick to using just the cook stove. It'll throw off enough heat and produce less smoke. There's wood stacked on the back porch. I'll go get some and close the shutters while I'm out there." Daryl slipped out the back door and Amelia sat back down beside Ellie. She hugged her gently and was surprised and happy when the young girl slipped an arm around her waist.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"You were right." Amelia smiled tentatively at Daryl.

He looked up from his plate and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"About the squirrels. They're good. They taste like...chicken." she smiled again and while Daryl didn't say anything, just returned to staring at his plate, she thought she saw a ghost of a smile.

The three of them were sitting at the small wooden table. After starting a fire in the cook stove, Daryl had quickly skinned the squirrels. While he was doing that, Amelia started some water to boil and rummaged through the small kitchen. Someone had taken care in stocking the cupboards. She was pleased to find dishes and cutlery, along with a can opener, dishcloths and dishtowels, in one of the top cabinets and pots and pans in the lower cabinets. There were boxes of candles and matches for lights. Best of all, the other two cabinets above the counter were full of canned goods. She picked through the cans, choosing a can of green beans and a can of potatoes to cook with the squirrels. Completely clueless about how one went about cooking squirrels, Amelia was grateful when Daryl took care of it. They moved about the kitchen in a companionable silence. Amelia stole small glances at Daryl from time to time. Although he no longer seemed grumpy, he clearly wasn't in the mood for small talk and she felt it was best to give him his space.

"Ellie, did you have enough to eat?" Amelia rubbed the thin girl's shoulders. While she still refused to speak, it was clear that she was starting to come back to them. Amelia, prepared to feed her again, had been surprised when Ellie had picked up her fork and started to eat on her own. She had cleared her plate and when Amelia had silently transferred some of the meat from her plate on to Ellie's, she had eaten that as well.

Rising from the table, Amelia brought over three small bowls. She had found 2 cans of pears in the cupboard and she began to dish them out evenly into the bowls.

She placed the bowl in front of Ellie "Sweets for the sweet."

She stroked Ellie's hair and smiled when the little girl picked up her spoon and began to eat the pears.

"How did you know about the key?" Daryl's raspy voice broke the silence.

"My grandparents had a cottage on the lake when I was growing up. My grandfather kept a spare key under the flower pot at the front door." She smiled a little.

"My grandmother used to tell him he was a fool to keep a key in such an obvious place; said he was just asking for thieves to walk into the place."

Daryl ate the last of his pears, "But no one ever did?"

Amelia laughed, "Oh God yes. There were at least 4 or 5 times where people found the key and just helped themselves to whatever was in the cottage." She stared thoughtfully at him. "You'd be surprised though, by the amount of people who used the cottage but didn't wreck or steal anything. My grandfather said they were just lost souls who needed a warm place for the night."

"Once though, the people really trashed the place. Nan was so angry with Papa." She absentmindedly sucked some pear juice from her finger, not noticing the way Daryl followed her every motion, "It took a month to clean the place up which was coincidentally, how long Nan refused to speak to Papa."

Lost in her memories, Amelia stared down at the table, tracing the scarred wood with her fingers. "I asked Papa once why he kept the key there, even though it made Nan mad and even after what happened, and I'll never forget what he said to me. Lia, he said, I keep that key there because there are plenty of good people in this world. Sure, there are bad people, like the ones who make a mess and steal our stuff, but I keep the key for the good people who are tired and lost. For the ones who need a port in the storm."

She glanced up at Daryl; he could see the tears swimming in her eyes. "He was a good man my Papa." She stood abruptly and began to clear the table.

"Look at this Ellie." She pulled the plain white t-shirts from the drawer in the dresser and laid them out on the bed beside Ellie. It looks like we'll have some fresh clothes to sleep in." Ellie stuck her thumb in her mouth but Amelia was relieved to see that the young girl actually appeared to be listening and looking at her. The blank look in her eyes was gone. She rummaged through the other drawers, pulling out a few pairs of men's boxers, what appeared to be a hand-knitted sweater, and two pairs of corduroy pants. She held the pants up and eyed them critically. They were much too big for her but they might fit Daryl. She placed them back in the drawer but kept 3 t-shirts and 2 pairs of the boxers out on the bed.

"Bathwater's ready." Daryl appeared from the bathroom. He carried two empty buckets in his hands while the third one, full of water, heated on the cook stove.

She nodded to him and picked up Ellie. She wrapped her legs around Amelia's waist and laid her head on her shoulder as Amelia picked up a t-shirt with her free hand and carried her towards the bathroom. In the cupboard under the sink she had discovered toothpaste, razors, soap, shampoo and a few bath towels and, after dinner, had started to heat up water for bathing. As she stripped off Ellie's clothes and lowered her into the tub, she could hear Daryl pumping water into the buckets to heat for her bath.

"Won't it be nice to be clean Ellie?" she smiled at the girl as she wetted her fine blonde hair and poured a little shampoo onto it. Ellie closed her eyes as Amelia began to scrub gently.

In the kitchen, Daryl listened as Amelia chattered away to Ellie. She was telling stories about her grandparent's cottage and singing silly songs to the girl in a low, clear voice. He stared at the water in the buckets, trying to ignore the fact that soon Amelia would be in the tub, naked and wet. Just the thought of her naked gave him an erection and he scowled angrily and opened the door of the cook stove, adding more wood to the fire in angry, jerky movements.

"Oh for heaven's sake girl stop being such a ninny." Amelia berated herself. She was standing in the bathroom, debating whether to put her bra back on. She shook her head in exasperation, and before she could change her mind, plunged the bra into the sink of water with the rest of her and Ellie's underclothes and quickly scrubbed and rinsed them clean. Blotting them with her damp towel she took a deep breath and left the bathroom, crossing the living room to the kitchen and hanging them on the back of the kitchen chairs to dry.

From his spot in the armchair, Daryl stared unnoticed at Amelia in the kitchen. She was dressed in one of the t-shirts she had found in the dresser, it hung to her thighs, and a pair of the boxer shorts. They were too big and he refused to acknowledge how cute she looked hitching them up every few minutes. The shirt was baggy but it only took him a minute to realize she wasn't wearing a bra. He looked away, ignoring the stirring in his groin, until Amelia began to lug a bucket of water on the stove towards the bathroom.

He crossed the room, willing himself not to look at her body, and grabbed the other two buckets from the stove. He followed her into the bathroom and waited patiently as she poured her bucket of water into the tub. Bucket empty, she turned towards him and tried to squeeze past him. Despite her best efforts to avoid contact, he could feel her breasts brushing against his chest as she slid past. He jerked back, slopping water onto the floor and swore irritably.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. She was blushing brightly and he sighed with relief when she left the room, closing the door behind her.

When he emerged from the bathroom an hour later, he was dressed similar to her in one of the white t-shirts and a pair of the boxer shorts. Although she had purposely left a razor out where he could see it, he hadn't shaved. Amelia 's face reddened a little thinking about how carefully she had shaved her legs and underarms in the soft glow of the candlelight, ignoring the gently chiding voice in her head asking why exactly she felt the need to shave.

Beside her on the loveseat, Ellie yawned and Amelia ran her fingers through the girl's damp hair. "Tired Ellie?" She was answered with another yawn.

Without consulting Daryl, she picked up Ellie and carried her to the bed. She placed her in the middle and tucked the covers around her. The bed had a thick quilt and she pulled it up to the girl's chin.

"Sleep now baby girl." She whispered. She kissed Ellie's forehead and sat beside her on the bed until the girl's eyes closed.

Clearing her throat nervously, Amelia mentally prepared herself for the argument she was about to have with Daryl. She had already decided that the three of them could sleep in the bed together. It was a small bed but they could squeeze in. Ellie would sleep between them and act as a buffer.

"Daryl, it's getting late." She chewed at her bottom lip as he stared silently at her.

"Um, I thought for sleeping arrangements, we could all just, uh, sleep in the bed together."

His face darkened and twisted a little in what looked like alarm.

"Probably afraid you'll jump him in his sleep." her inner voice whispered.

"I'll sleep on the couch." He muttered grumpily.

"The loveseat is only long enough for Ellie and I'm not comfortable with her sleeping by herself. Besides, there aren't any extra sheets or blankets." She replied.

"The floor then." He gestured at a spot in the living room.

"There aren't any extra sheets or blankets." She repeated herself.

"Don't need 'em." He was starting to look decidedly panicked.

"Don't be ridiculous Daryl." She snapped. Suddenly she was furious with him. "We're both adults. We'll keep Ellie between us and –" she held her hand up, palm facing him, and said sarcastically "I promise not to touch you – Scout's Honor. Besides, you've already made it perfectly clear today that you're not interested."

She turned and stalked back to the bed, feeling a bad combination of foolish and angry. She climbed into bed beside the sleeping Ellie, and turning on her side, pulled the sheet and quilt up. He could choose to sleep in the bed or not, she decided crossly. She wasn't about to force him to sleep in the same bed with her.

As Daryl moved about the cabin, checking the cook stove one last time and blowing out all of the candles but one, she sulked quietly to herself. At some point he had lost any attraction he felt for her – "Are you sure he felt any in the first place?" her stupid inner voice nagged – and regardless of her own desire for him she was not going to beg for his affection.

Carefully carrying the last lit candle, Daryl moved to the bed and slipped silently into it. He blew out the candle as Ellie, snoring softly, turned and snuggled into Amelia's back, curving one skinny arm around Amelia's waist.

Amelia felt Daryl shift and risked a quick glance over her shoulder. He was lying with his back to her and Ellie; in the dark she could just make out the back of his head and the white of the t-shirt he wore. Somewhat mollified, she pushed her head into the pillow, ignored the slightly musty smell of the pillowcase, and closed her eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Amelia drifted back and forth between a light doze and a real sleep. She tried to slip into the comfort of sleep again but she was much too warm. Ellie was clinging to her like a monkey and the little girl was radiating heat. She tried to shift away from her but the girl just pulled her closer. She could feel Ellie's stubble brushing her neck and whoa... Amelia's eyes opened in a hurry. Stubble?

Blinking in confusion, Amelia stared down at herself. Daryl was wrapped around her, his face buried in her throat, one arm curved around her waist with his hand tangled in her long dark hair. Every inch of his body was pressed against hers. He was holding her so tightly that her breasts were flattened against his chest and he had one thigh wedged firmly between her own.

Ellie! Where was Ellie? She looked behind her, relieved to see the little girl sleeping soundly at the edge of the bed with her back to Amelia.

Amelia took a deep breath. It was early morning and at some point in the night she and Ellie had traded places in the bed. How did that even happen? She rolled her eyes. It didn't matter. What mattered was that she had promised Daryl she wouldn't touch him and now they were stuck together like glue. She had to get out of the bed before Daryl woke up.

She tugged experimentally on Daryl's arm.

"Shut up Merle." Daryl mumbled into her throat.

Merle? Who was Merle?

"You can ask him later you idiot!" She hissed to herself. "Untangle yourself before he wakes up."

She tugged harder on Daryl's forearm. She froze when, in response, Daryl slid his hand down her back and into the back of the boxer shorts she was wearing. His hand squeezed her bare backside, causing a bolt of heat to run down her legs. A dull throb was starting in the apex of her thighs and she resisted the urge to rub herself against his thigh.

"Get control of yourself; you're like a cat in heat." She scolded herself fiercely. She took a few moments to slow her breathing before taking stock of her situation.

"Okay, okay. So Daryl's hand is on your ass and you're pretty sure that's his morning wood pressing against your hip." She took a deep breath. "Not exactly what you were trying to achieve but that's no reason to panic. Just think girl. Think!"

It was time for a different approach. Rather than trying to pull his arm from her body, Amelia slowly started to shift to her other side. With her back to him she could reach over Ellie, grab the side of the bed for leverage and sit up. He might wake up as she moved but she could deal with that.

Slowly she started to turn onto her side; Daryl tightened his grip on her butt for a moment and muttered what sounded like the word "soft" against her throat before loosening his hold on her. Smiling triumphantly Amelia turned in the loose circle of his arm until her back was to him. Daryl's arm was still around her but he had moved his hand out of her shorts and was resting it against her hip. He made no effort to scoot closer to her. She reached for the side of the bed and was about to pull herself into a sitting position when Daryl's hand tightened on her hip and she was yanked back against his hard body.

He buried his face in the back of her neck and sighed in his sleep, his breath tickling the sensitive skin there, before pressing her ass firmly against his erection. Sliding his hand inside her shirt, he cupped her bare breast and her nipple hardened immediately. Amelia moaned softly; she couldn't help it. In response to her moan, he sighed again, shifted her closer and ran his thumb over her nipple. She moaned again. Her insides had turned to liquid; waves of need rippled through her body as he took her nipple between his finger and thumb and pinched lightly.

Oh Lord. She had to get away from him. He'd be awake soon if he wasn't already. Besides, Ellie was in the bed right beside her, still asleep but bound to wake up any minute.

Before she could change her mind Amelia pushed herself to a sitting position, pulling free of Daryl's arm and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She sat still for a moment, panting harshly, waiting to see if either Daryl or Ellie woke up. When neither of them stirred, she risked a glance back at Daryl. His eyes were closed, his breathing deep and relaxed and as she watched, he rolled over to his other side. His back rose and fell in a deep rhythm and she blew out a shaky breath before rising and heading to the bathroom.

Daryl, eyes still closed, listened to the sounds of Amelia stoking the fire in the cook stove. Shortly after she left the bed, Ellie had woken and joined her in the kitchen. He could hear Amelia talking softly to the girl, keeping her voice low so not to disturb him.

He had woken the moment she had turned in his arms. He had no idea why or how she had ended up in the middle of the bed and pressed up against him but he had acted instinctively when he felt her starting to pull away. Pulling her back against him, feeling her soft ass pressed against his erection, he had nearly groaned out loud. He had slid his hand up her shirt and cupped her breast without stopping to think about his actions, and had been rewarded with a soft moan and her nipple hardening against his palm. Trying to keep his breathing slow and even, he couldn't resist pinching her nipple eliciting another soft moan. He had been about to say "fuck it" and flip her over on to her back so he could kiss her full mouth when Amelia had sat up suddenly. He watched her until she turned towards him and then had continued to feign sleep.

Just remembering the sound of her moans and the softness of her skin was turning him on. He suppressed his thoughts harshly, forcing himself to concentrate on something other than Amelia. He had slept well for the first time in weeks and he was anxious to get back on the road and find Rick and the others. He threw back the covers and sat up. Ignoring both Amelia and Ellie he made his way to the bathroom.

"Morning." Amelia nodded at him as she sliced up canned potatoes.

"Morning." He responded gruffly.

He sat down beside Ellie at the table. She stared solemnly at him and when he winked at her she gave him a shy smile before bending her head and staring at the table.

As Amelia began to fry potatoes in a pan on the stove, he took the opportunity to study her. She was wearing what Maggie called "yoga pants" and the stretchy material clung in all the right places. She was still wearing the white t-shirt but she had put her bra on, thank God.

She smiled nervously at him as she dished the potatoes into three bowls. He jumped up and grabbed the water they had boiled last night, pouring it into the three glasses she had set on the table.

As they sat down to eat, she cleared her throat, "Did you uh, sleep okay?" she blushed a little.

He nodded, staring steadily at her and wondering if she was remembering the same thing he was. She broke his gaze and turned to Ellie. "What about you baby girl? Did you have a good sleep?"

Not expecting a reply, Amelia's mouth dropped open when Ellie responded in a soft voice, "Yes."

Determined not to make a big deal of it, Amelia grinned at the girl. "Glad to hear that. Now eat up, we have a long drive ahead of us."


	13. Chapter 13

**Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has added Amelia's Choice to their story alerts or favourites. It is very much appreciated! And to all of you who have taken the time to comment - thank you! I love reading your thoughts and comments!**

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><p>Chapter 13<p>

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl swore loudly causing Ellie to flinch and Amelia to run to the door.

"What's wrong?" she stood beside him and stared out the open door into a land transformed by ice.

"I heard it raining last night but I didn't realize it was freezing rain." Daryl said disgustedly.

Amelia scanned the yard. The driveway, truck and entire yard were covered in a thick layer of ice. She watched as Daryl moved cautiously down the porch stairs before slipping and sliding across the ground to the truck. He just managed to grab hold of the door handle before his feet slipped out from him and only the dark, warning look on his face stopped her from giggling.

As he began to chip at the ice covering the truck, Amelia peered at the dark sky above them. "Daryl," she protested, "I don't think we're going anywhere today. We'll never make it back to the highway with the ground covered in this much ice."

He scowled and carefully made his way back to the porch. "It'll warm up and the ice'll melt. We'll leave then."

Amelia, shivering in her t-shirt and yoga pants, doubted that it was going to warm up enough but decided not to argue. As he stepped gingerly up the porch stairs, a loud crack of thunder startled her. Behind her Ellie cried out and wrapped her arms around Amelia's waist. She patted Ellie's shoulder gently. "It's okay honey. It's just thunder."

Without warning, the dark skies opened and a torrent of hail fell from the sky. The three of them stood on the porch and watched the hail fall for nearly 15 minutes. Finally it started to ease off but Amelia's relief quickly turned south as the hail turned to freezing rain.

Daryl slammed his hand against the porch rail before turning and storming back into the cabin. He stalked across the room, flung open the back door and began bringing in armfuls of wood. Amelia closed and locked the front door. Ellie watched with round eyes as Daryl brought armful after armful of wood into the cabin, stomping across the cabin floor and throwing it into the wood box. He cursed loudly and viciously as he stomped back and forth.

Ellie hid her head behind the pillow on the loveseat, covering her ears with her hands. Amelia could see her body shaking. Livid, she ran to the kitchen, grabbing Daryl by the arm as he dropped another load of wood into the overflowing wood box.

"Stop it!" She hissed at him like an angry cat.

He yanked his arm from her grasp. "Don't tell me what to do bitch."

"Then stop acting like a spoiled child and I won't, you stupid redneck." She spat.

"What'd you just call me?" he asked in a quiet, dangerous voice.

"You heard me." She retorted.

"You best be watching your mouth around me little girl." He stepped forward, trapping her against the counter.

"I'm not afraid of you." She sneered at him.

"You should be."

"I'm not."

When he didn't reply, she sighed in exasperation, "Look Daryl, I know you're upset and you want to find your friends as quickly as possible but you can't just explode like this. I'm sorry you're not with them, I really am."

"It's your fault I ain't. If I hadn't had to save your sorry ass in the woods, I'd be with them right now, not stuck in a cabin with a sorry bitch and a scared little girl." He said peevishly.

"Call me a bitch again and I'll punch you in the face." She warned.

He just stared at her resentfully, as she continued, "I'll accept that I'm partially to blame for your situation – "

"Fully to blame." He grumped.

She gritted her teeth, "Fine - fully to blame. But don't forget I saved your life in the basement of that farmhouse and as much as you seem to hate us, at this moment you're stuck with us."

He glared at her, nostrils flaring angrily.

"Besides, did you stop to think that maybe your people are stuck as well? They sure as hell won't be travelling in weather like this which means we're not falling further behind." She poked him in the chest with one finger, "Use your brains Daryl."

He grabbed her hand and just like that, the tension and anger between them turned into something else. She could feel it, the need was like a living thing between them, and as much as Daryl denied it, she knew he could feel it too. She tried to pull her hand free but he held it tightly and began to run his thumb back and forth over the sensitive skin on her wrist.

She shivered, "Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Touching me." She tried again to pull her hand free.

"You touched me first." He gave her a hard grin.

"Really?" she rolled her eyes in frustration, as her stomach did lazy flip flops.

Instead of letting go, he stepped even closer. She could feel his breath on his face as he whispered, "You drive me crazy. Do ya know that?"

His thumb still stroked back and forth over her wrist; it was driving HER crazy. Just the touch of his thumb was heating her entire body. Her clothes suddenly felt too restricting and her skin buzzed and tingled. She was more nervous now then when she had been fighting with him.

She swallowed and licked her suddenly dry lips, watching fascinated as Daryl's eyes darkened and his nostrils flared.

"Everything about you drives me crazy." He nuzzled his nose into her hair and inhaled deeply. "The way you smell, the way you move." Daryl tilted his head, "The way you taste."

Her mouth parted and he made a sound of appreciation low in his throat. He leaned in to claim her lips but she moved her head back, her eyes flickering to the left. "Ellie." She whispered.

He looked behind him. Ellie was sitting on the loveseat, staring at them with large eyes, her hands still held over her ears.

He sighed and moved towards her, ignoring the way she cringed. He sat down beside her, "I'm sorry I yelled Ellie." He glanced at Amelia, she had her arms wrapped around her torso and was staring silently at them both. "I'm just… I'm upset because I miss my friends. I shouldn't have yelled though."

She didn't reply but she lowered her hands and relaxed against the back of the love seat.

Daryl nodded at her and walked over to the stove. He began to gather the wood that had spilled on to the floor. He placed some of it in the stove and piled the rest of it neatly in the wood box.

Amelia dragged the rocking chair close to the stove and sat down. Within a few minutes Ellie crept silently to her and climbed into her lap. She wrapped her arms around Amelia and pushed her face into her throat. She closed her eyes as Amelia began to rock her gently back and forth.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Amelia rubbed her forehead wearily. She could feel the beginnings of a dull headache behind her eyes and while the cabin was well-stocked, she hadn't run across any Tylenol.

"Amelia?" Ellie's soft voice broke the silence.

"Sorry baby." She continued to read from the picture book Ellie held in her lap. It was their third go around of the only children's book she could find on the bookshelf. Whoever had previously lived here had obviously not had any children and she wondered why this book was even there, stuffed into the back of the bookshelf like an afterthought.

It was just after dinner and the day had dragged by. There was only so much to look at and do in the cabin and Daryl's restless energy was apparent and frankly, stressful on her. It didn't help that every time they were close to each other, there was that weird mixture of desire and tension between them. She found herself trying to avoid him without being obvious, a difficult thing to do in the small cabin. He had spent a few hours in the afternoon teaching Ellie how to play checkers using the board she had found in the bottom drawer of the dresser, and it had gone a long way towards fixing the gulf he had created between him and the girl.

She sighed and rubbed her forehead again as Ellie turned to the last page of the book. "And they all lived happily ever after." She smiled at the girl. "Wasn't that a nice story Ellie?"

The girl nodded. "Where's Michael?" she asked suddenly.

Shocked by her question, Amelia floundered for an answer, "I, I don't know Ellie." It was the truth; she hadn't seen Michael specifically attacked by a Walker although the odds that he escaped the farmhouse were slim.

"Maria's dead." Ellie said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, she is." Amelia nodded, the back of her throat burning. She could feel Daryl gazing at her from the armchair.

"Do you think she's in heaven with mommy and daddy now?" Ellie looked at her earnestly and Amelia couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks.

"I know she is Ellie."

Ellie seemed satisfied with her answer. "Is Michael dead?"

"I really don't know honey. I hope not."

"Me too. I like Michael." Ellie stared into the distance as Amelia wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"I miss Maria." Ellie sighed and leaned against Amelia. "She gave good hugs."

Amelia sniffed loudly and Ellie glanced up at her. "Don't cry Amelia." She reached up and patted her wet cheek with one small hand. "You give good hugs too."

Amelia laughed through her tears, "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me Ellie."

Ellie snuck a glance at Daryl before whispering loudly, "I don't think he gives nice hugs."

Amelia suppressed a grin. "His name is Daryl and he gives nice hugs."

"How do you know?" Ellie stared curiously at her.

"Um, when we were in the truck, I was cold and he gave me a hug to warm me up." Amelia tried vainly to keep from blushing. She looked at Daryl. Shockingly enough it looked like he was trying to keep from blushing himself.

"Oh." Clearly bored with the subject now, Ellie looked around the cabin. "It's nice here. Are we going to stay here?"

"We'll stay until the rain stops and then we'll keep looking for Daryl's friends."

Ellie frowned, "I don't want to leave."

"I know but we need to get Daryl back to his friends. I bet they're nice people. Don't you want to meet them?" Amelia spoke gently.

Ellie looked at her and for a moment she was back to the blank stare of a shock victim. Amelia frowned at Daryl and he stood up and crouched in front of Ellie. Suddenly, Ellie shook herself and sighing softly, said in a toneless voice completely unlike her normal speaking voice, "They'll die. They always die."

A shiver went down Amelia's back. She stared helplessly at Daryl who patted Ellie's knee awkwardly and a bit timidly. "Ain't no one dyin' in this room Ellie."

She stared at Daryl for a moment, nodded solemnly, then turned to Amelia. "I'm tired Amelia."

"Well, let's get you to bed then honey."

After a quick trip to the bathroom, Amelia tucked Ellie into the bed and kissed her forehead. "Sleep now baby girl. I'll see you in the morning."

She moved silently back to the living room, sitting on the love seat and tucking her feet under her. Daryl was back in the armchair. He had grabbed a book from the bookshelf and appeared to be deeply invested in it.

Amelia closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead. After about half an hour, unable to stand the tension any longer she stood abruptly and without looking at Daryl said, "I think I'll go to bed myself."

He grunted softly in reply and grabbing a candle, she escaped to the bathroom to take her bra off and change from her pants into the boxer shorts. When she came back out, Daryl had blown out all of the candles except for two. He was back in the armchair, book in hand, squinting in the soft light of the candles.

She moved Ellie from her side of the bed to the middle, blew out her candle and slipped into the bed beside her. She turned on her side and Ellie immediately cuddled up to her back. She said a silent prayer that the child stayed in the middle of the bed and closed her eyes.

Daryl woke with a start. In the darkness he could see Ellie sleeping in the middle of the bed but Amelia's side was empty. With a growing tightness in his chest he sat up and peered around the cabin. He breathed a harsh sigh of relief when he spotted Amelia sitting on the couch. Quietly he left the bed and walked to the loveseat. He eased down beside her, keeping a safe distance between them.

She started, her hand rising to her chest. "You scared me." She breathed.

"Sorry."

She nodded and he pretended not to notice when she wiped her cheeks dry.

"Why ain't you in bed?"

She shrugged, "Bad dreams again."

Bad dreams were right. Amelia shuddered a little. She had been dreaming of Michael again; of the night he had kissed her. Only this time he had been a Walker. He had leaned in to kiss her, skin hanging from his face, his mouth opening to reveal black teeth and maggots squirming on the grey slab of flesh that was his tongue, and she had shrieked and shrieked, terrified to her core. She had jerked herself awake, trembling and sweating in the dark, afraid that she had screamed in her sleep but both Ellie and Daryl continued to sleep peacefully beside her. She couldn't shake the dream though and after 10 minutes she had crept through the darkness to sit on the loveseat. Thinking about Michael and the others made her chest ache dully and in the darkness she allowed her tears to fall freely.

He didn't ask her about her dream and she was glad for that. She had no desire to share it.

She shifted on the couch, tucking her feet under and shivered lightly. The fire was low in the cook stove and it was chilly in the cabin.

"Ya should go back to bed." Daryl spoke gruffly in the darkness.

"Probably." She murmured. She had never felt less like sleeping in her life. The remnants of her dream still clung to her like an old overcoat and she couldn't shake the feeling of trepidation that had come over her ever since Ellie had whispered that they always died.

They sat in silence, listening to the gentle sound of the rain on the rooftop. "Do you think it'll stop raining by morning?" she asked

He shook his head. "I dunno. I hope so."

She glanced at him and was surprised to see him looking tired and vulnerable.

"Daryl, I'm so sorry." Her voice broke, "I'm so sorry about everything that's happened. Truly." She burst into quiet sobs and buried her face in her hands.

"Hey, no. Stop that." He reached out and patted her shoulder timidly.

She couldn't look at him. "I'm sorry that my people kidnapped you and tortured you and…" she drew in a deep, hitching breath, "I'm so grateful you saved my life. I really am."

She tried desperately to stop crying, knowing it was making him uncomfortable, but she couldn't seem to quit. She buried her face in the crook of her arm and tried to muffle her sobs.

Daryl swore softly then scooted across the small couch and gathered Amelia into his arms. She didn't resist. Just wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her face into his chest and wept bitterly.

After about five minutes, her tears dried up and she rested quietly against his chest. She could feel the solid beating of his heart under her cheek and as she discreetly wiped her nose with the back of her hand she marveled at how warm he was. He patted her back awkwardly and she felt his heartbeat increase when she slipped her hand back around his waist and placed it gently on his back, mindful of the scars. For the first time since her nightmare she was warm and relaxed. She sighed softly and snuggled in closer, hoping Daryl would relax with her. It didn't work. She could feel his body tensing under her and with a vague sense of disappointment she forced herself to straighten up.

"I'm sorry." She whispered staring down at her hands. Daryl was a good man but he wasn't one for comforting hysterical women. She felt badly that she had made him tense and uncomfortable. She raised her head and blinked in surprise. Daryl's face was closer than she thought; their noses were almost touching and when she tried to pull back, he shuddered and gripped the back of her neck with one strong hand.

They stared silently at each other before Daryl suddenly tightened his grip on her neck

"If you want me to stop, tell me now." He warned. His breath was warm and sweet on her lips.

She opened her mouth to tell him to stop but she couldn't seem to get the words out. Instead of speaking she placed a soft, open-mouth kiss on his lips. He groaned but didn't move. She kissed him again, this time running her tongue along his upper lip before sucking gently on his lower lip. With another soft groan he claimed her mouth roughly, thrusting his tongue into her mouth to stroke hers before biting her bottom lip. She gasped into his mouth and he pulled back.

"Sorry." He murmured. "Did I hurt ya?"

She shook her head, "No. I like it."

He groaned and kissed her again. She climbed into his lap, straddling him as he reached up and pulled the elastic band out of her hair. Her hair fell around their faces like a dark curtain and he threaded his fingers through her hair, holding her head steady as he kissed her.

Amelia wrenched her mouth free, gasping for air as he kissed his way down her throat. He bit her collarbone lightly and she arched her back in pleasure, gripping his shoulders in her hands. Before she could react he grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and yanked it almost frantically from her upper body.

His breathing quickened at the sight of her naked breasts and he cupped them with slightly shaking hands. He looked up at her and her body flooded with heat in response to the need in his eyes.

"So beautiful." He growled. He dipped his head and placed a soft kiss on one nipple. It hardened immediately and he took it into his mouth, sucking hard before releasing it and blowing softly on it.

"Daryl please." She moaned quietly as he switched to the other breast and slowly teased and tortured that nipple with his mouth and teeth.

He lifted her from his lap and pushed her back on to the couch. He stared at her for a moment, her lips swollen from his kisses, her hair fanned out in a dark cloud under her. She smiled at him and reached for his shirt, he helped her pull it off and then leaned into her, pushing her thighs apart so he could settle his hips between them. She moaned and thrust her hips into him when she felt his erection pressing against her.

Amelia tried to keep quiet as Daryl leaned over her and placed a soft kiss between her breasts. She ran her fingers over the hair on his chest before leaning up and trailing a path of kisses along his collarbone. She liked the way he moaned at the feel of her tongue.

She skimmed her hand across his flat abdomen and slipped one finger under the waistband of his boxers. She ran her finger back and forth under the elastic as he shuddered above her.

"Amelia." He rasped.

Boldly she slipped the rest of her hand into his shorts and took him in her hand. At her touch he buried his face in her throat to muffle his loud groan. He panted harshly in her ear as she touched him with firm, slow strokes. After only a few moments, he reached down and pulled her hand free.

"Stop." He panted. "You're going to make me explode."

She giggled softly, wiggled her hand free and made for the waist of his shorts again. With a low growl he grabbed her hand and pinned it above her head. Her other hand was trapped between the love seat and his body and he gave her a decidedly wolfish grin.

"My turn." He whispered. With his other hand he gripped one smooth thigh and forced her legs to part wider, settling himself more firmly against her. She could feel his erection directly against her, separated only by the thin material of their shorts and she pushed her hips up eagerly. He placed a path of warm, moist kisses from her throat down to the hollow of her breasts. She arched her back, silently urging him on and he obliged, kissing his way to one rose-tinged nipple and tracing it lightly with his tongue. She whimpered when instead of taking it into his mouth, he kissed his way to the other and repeated the torturous licking.

"Please Daryl." She moaned softly.

He ignored her, planting light kisses and nips around each breast and then down her ribs. Amelia twisted and turned beneath him. Her skin was on fire; every spot that Daryl touched with his mouth burned in the most delicious way. She pulled frantically, trying to loosen his grip on her wrist, while her other hand dug into his ribs. Finally, he released her and she grabbed his head in her hands forcing his mouth to her breast. He chuckled softly then took her nipple into his mouth, sucking hard as she gasped and moaned beneath him.

After a few long moments, he lifted his head and kissed her hotly. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and she sucked hard on it before releasing him. He was flushed and panting and as he bit her lower lip, tugging on it lightly, his hand left her breast, traced down her stomach and slipped into her shorts. He reached around and cupped her naked bottom, squeezing it and pushing her against his erection. She shivered when he placed his hand on her hip. His thumb stroked her hip bone firmly over and over until she wanted to grab his hand and push it towards her warmth and wetness.

Finally, when she thought she couldn't bear it any longer, he moved his hand across her flat abdomen and down the outside of her thigh. She twisted her thigh towards him and he let his hand trail across her leg before running his fingers down the inside of her thigh.

"Daryl." She whispered his name in a voice full of frustration and need.

He rested his palm on her lower stomach and let the tips of his fingers graze across the soft curls at the apex of her thighs.

"Amelia?"

Both her and Daryl froze as Ellie's rising, panic-filled voice called for her again.

"Amelia! Where are you?"

"I'm on the couch honey. It's okay. Everything's alright." She hoped she came across as soothing.

"I thought you left me." The little girl sounded on the verge of tears.

"No baby girl, I wouldn't leave you." Amelia groped blindly for her t-shirt as Daryl eased his way from her body to the floor in front of the loveseat.

"Where's Daryl?"

"He's here too. We couldn't sleep so we were just um, talking." Dammit! Where was her stupid shirt?

Daryl thrust the shirt into her hand from his spot on the floor and she struggled into it just as she heard the light patter of Ellie's feet on the floor. She sat up, hoping the t-shirt was completely covering her as Ellie appeared beside her.

"I can't sleep either." Ellie crawled into her lap. She stared at Daryl for a moment, not seeming to find it odd that he was sitting shirtless on the floor. The three of them sat together in silence, Amelia trying to control her frustration and desire. Her body throbbed and ached with need and she knew without a doubt that if Ellie hadn't interrupted them Daryl would be inside of her right now, taking care of that aching need. She swallowed hard; thinking thoughts like that was not helping.

"It's dark." Ellie whispered

"That's because it's the middle of the night. You're supposed to be sleeping." Amelia shifted her into a more comfortable position on her lap, stealing a quick glance at Daryl. In the darkness she could just make out the features of his face. He was staring straight ahead and didn't seem to be listening to either of them.

"Why don't I tuck you back into bed?" If she fell back asleep quickly enough, she and Daryl could hopefully pick up where they left off.

"Come with me." Ellie pleaded. "I don't like to be alone."

"Ellie, I'll be right here on the couch with Daryl. You won't be alone."

"Please Amelia. I feel scared." Ellie sniffed, obviously about to cry.

"Okay baby girl, okay. I'll stay with you." She lifted Ellie in her arms and carried her towards the bed.

"Daryl?" Ellie's voice was soft in the darkness.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Are you coming back to bed with us?"

He cleared his throat roughly, "In a few minutes."

Satisfied with his answer, Ellie clung to Amelia in the bed.

"Night 'melia." The little girl mumbled against her shoulder.

"Night Ellie." Amelia murmured. She laid awake in the darkness for a long time listening to Ellie's soft breathing and the rougher breathing of Daryl at the loveseat but he still hadn't come back to the bed when she finally drifted off into a restless sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Amelia twisted in her seat and stared morosely at the small cabin through the back window of the truck. She bit the inside of her cheek and ignored the burning in her throat when Daryl turned the bend and the cabin disappeared from view.

She faced forward again, holding back the tears. "God, you're such a cry baby lately." she scolded herself. She stared out the window. She felt tired and depressed and she wished they were still back at the cabin. It had been a safe harbour for them the last two days and it didn't feel right to leave it.

"Don't be silly." she told herself, "Daryl misses his friends and it's better, safer, to be with more people."

Still, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness when Daryl turned back onto the highway. She glanced at Ellie sitting in the back seat. The little girl's face was pale and strained looking. She had woken Amelia up twice more in the night, moaning and crying in her sleep. This morning, on the discovery that the ice had melted and they were packing up to leave, she had begged her and Daryl to stay at the cabin, throwing a temper tantrum when they had gently refused.

Amelia had picked her up, ignoring her flailing limbs, and rocked her gently; rubbing her back while Daryl stoically loaded their stuff into the truck. Once she had calmed down, Amelia explained again why they had to leave and this time Ellie accepted it with a resigned weariness.

"It'll be fine, Ellie." Amelia had whispered to her, "You'll see."

Now she forced herself to smile cheerfully at the girl, reaching back and squeezing Ellie's knee reassuringly. Ellie gave her a wan smile before looking out the side window.

Amelia glanced at Daryl. He was concentrating on the road and as she studied the line of his jaw and the shape of his mouth, a fleeting memory of his mouth and tongue on her heated skin brought on that slow ache in her belly again. She scowled irritably. The lower half of her body felt full and achy all the time now and she knew exactly why.

"It's his fault." She thought petulantly, stealing another look at Daryl. "Him and his stupid hard body and his stupid rough kisses."

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared moodily out the window. He ran hot and cold with her and it was annoying as hell. Last night he was all over her, kissing her, touching her, driving her mad with need, and this morning he was back to quiet, flinches when you touch him, sullen Daryl.

She frowned again and, pushing thoughts of Daryl and his mouth to the back of her mind, concentrated on studying the landscape passing by them, searching for signs that his people might have left for him.

"Daryl?" Amelia's soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

She was staring at the gas gauge with a troubled look on her face.

He glanced down at it. Although he had known for a while that they were getting low on gas, the low-gas indicator had finally blinked on, catching her attention.

Amelia bit her lip nervously. They had been driving for nearly 3 hours and although both she and Daryl scanned the road around them they hadn't seen a single sign from his friends. It was seriously spooky. Amelia thought to herself. They hadn't run across any humans or Walkers. From what she could tell, no deer or moose hid in the shadows of the trees, watching them from relative safety. It was like they were the last three living beings in the world. Goosebumps broke out on her arms and she shivered.

"We need to find a gas station or another vehicle." She said, keeping her voice low so that Ellie wouldn't hear her.

"I know." He replied grimly.

Daryl continued to drive, trying to hide his growing unease from Amelia. If they ran out of gas before they could find another vehicle, they would have to walk and camp in the open. He was starting to seriously doubt his decision to leave the cabin. He had been so anxious to find the group, so certain they would leave signs for him, he hadn't thought of an alternate plan if they didn't find them. He had put all three of them in jeopardy and he wanted to slam his fists on the steering wheel in frustration.

He took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool. Amelia and Ellie were relying on him to keep them safe and that's what he needed to concentrate on. If they had to he could –

Daryl suddenly slammed on the brakes throwing both Amelia and Ellie forward, their seatbelts locking painfully against their bodies.

Ellie cried out in shock and fear. "It's okay honey." Amelia said automatically.

She glared at Daryl as he threw the truck into reverse and started to back up. "What the hell Daryl?"

He didn't answer, just backed up the truck until they were stopped in front of a dirt road. The entrance was almost completely hidden by tall grass and weeds and Amelia didn't have a clue how Daryl had even seen it. It looked remarkably similar to the one that had led to their cabin and she felt a faint thread of hope. Perhaps they could find another shelter for the night.

Daryl didn't appear to even notice the road however. He put the truck in park and with a gruff "Stay here." left the vehicle.

Amelia and Ellie watched as he walked a few feet down the dirt road, crossbow out and ready, to the first of the trees. He reached up and, for the first time, Amelia noticed the bright red scarf tied to the lowest branch of the tree. Its ends fluttered prettily in the light breeze and she watched as Daryl untied it and held it to his face, inhaling deeply before stuffing it into the front pocket of his cargo pants and returning to the truck.

"What is that?" she asked as he started the truck up.

"A sign." He replied.

Daryl drove slowly down the dirt road. A few minutes in, Amelia spotted what looked like a white t-shirt lying at the base of a large tree beside the road.

"Do you see that?" she asked.

He nodded but didn't stop and pick it up like he had with the scarf. She could see the tension draining from his face as they drove up a small hill and coasted down the other side. At the bottom of the hill a pair of boxer briefs was tied to a small sapling. They flapped lazily in the cool breeze.

They drove for another 15 minutes; Amelia didn't spot any more clothes but Daryl was confident and relaxed as he followed the narrow, bumpy dirt road. They crested another large hill and at the top of it a faded wooden sign attached to two concrete poles welcomed them to "Pinewoods Lodge". In smaller letters it guaranteed they were about to have the fishing and hunting experience of a lifetime. Daryl drove down the road and past the sign. About a mile from the sign the road opened into a circular clearing. Like the one at their cabin, it was badly overgrown with grass and weeds.

Amelia leaned forward and rested her hands on the dashboard. "Can you believe this?" she breathed.

In front of them was a large wooden cabin, four times the size of the small cabin they had camped at. It was obviously the main lodge and in the trees surrounding it, Amelia counted numerous smaller cabins planted here and there like clusters of flowers. They looked remarkably similar to their little cabin and Amelia heaved a sigh of relief as Daryl put the truck in park and shut it off. The three of them climbed out of the truck and stood in the silence. Ellie tugged on the hem of her shirt and Amelia picked her up, resting her on her hip as Ellie wrapped her arms around her neck.

"It's empty." Ellie whispered.

Amelia glanced around. Ellie was right; the place did appear to be abandoned. No vehicles were parked by any of the cabins, no smoke curled out from the chimney of the main lodge or smaller cabins. She looked at Daryl. He was kneeling on the hard ground, hand trailing through the weeds, looking for something but she couldn't begin to guess what.

"Daryl?" Amelia whispered.

He didn't answer; just stood up and stared at the large front window of the main lodge. Amelia followed his gaze and was just in time to see the curtain twitch the tiniest bit. She inhaled sharply and stood back against the truck, sheltering Ellie against her body.

"Daryl!" she frowned at him. He was just standing there, crossbow at his side, a small grin forming on his lips. "We don't know if it's your friends!" she tried frantically to get his attention.

The door of the main cabin was suddenly flung open and a young Asian man stormed out onto the front porch. Ellie cringed against Amelia but Daryl's face broke into a broad grin.

"Hey Chinaman! Was that your trail of underwear I followed?"

The Asian man smiled and bounded down the steps, stopping in front of Daryl. He hesitated for a moment and then shook Daryl's hand while roughly clapping him on the back.

"Good to see you too, hillbilly." He grinned

He walked towards Amelia, his hand out. Ellie hid her face in Amelia's neck as Amelia wiped her hand nervously on her jeans and accepted the man's handshake.

"I'm Glen." He grinned in a shy way, swiping his baseball cap off his head.

"I'm Amelia. And this is Ellie." She shifted the girl on her hip.

Glen smiled again, "Welcome to Pinewoods Lodge - your home away from home."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Amelia watched as more people spilled out of the main cabin. An older man with white hair and a tired-looking face shook Daryl's hand before putting his arm around a young blonde girl.

A girl with dark hair and pretty features smiled at Daryl, "Nice to see you again." before standing by Glen's side. He put his arm around her waist and squeezed. They were obviously together.

"T-Dog." Daryl nodded to a large black man who punched him lightly on the shoulder and said

"Thought you were dead, man."

Daryl briefly clasped the shoulder of a young boy who was wearing a too-big sheriff's hat. "Carl. Where's your daddy?"

A tall, thin woman with long dark hair spoke "He's out hunting. Welcome back Daryl."

Daryl nodded. Amelia watched as he approached the last person in the group. She was a small, short-haired woman with sad eyes and a kind face. He stopped in front of her and pulled the scarf from his pocket. He handed it to her with a shy smile, "Found somethin' that belonged to you."

She smiled. Even from a distance Amelia could see the relief written all over her face, "I was so worried about you."

Amelia's stomach dropped when the woman hugged Daryl and after a moment's hesitation he hugged her back clumsily. There was an obvious affection between them. She had never seen Daryl looking so happy.

She looked away, swallowing the lump in her throat. Were they a couple? Is that why he was so conflicted about his attraction to her? Why he ran so hot and cold with her? And why did the thought of them being a couple make her feel so sick to her stomach? Amelia buried her face in Ellie's soft hair. Stupidly, she felt incredibly homesick for their little cabin. Her excitement and relief at finding Daryl's people had drained away and for a moment she wished bitterly that Daryl had never seen that scarf, damn the consequences. She didn't want to meet any of his friends, most especially the short-haired woman.

"Amelia?"

Amelia turned. Her mouth dropped open as a small, chubby redhead walked out of the door of the lodge.

"Melissa?" Still holding Ellie, Amelia ran across the clearing and threw herself at the young woman. Half-laughing, half-crying, the two women hugged. Melissa placed a loud, enthusiastic kiss first on Amelia's cheek then Ellie's. Ellie giggled and ducked her head into Amelia's neck.

"How? What? What are you doing here?" Amelia asked Melissa. "The farmhouse..."

Melissa sobered instantly. "We managed to escape. We thought we were the only ones. Oh Amelia, I'm so happy to see you."

"The feeling is mutual." Impulsively, Amelia hugged her again. They hadn't been that close at the farmhouse, even within their relatively small group, tiny pockets of individual friendships had developed and she hadn't spent much time with Melissa, but she was still thrilled to see her.

She paused as something Melissa said earlier sunk in, "Wait...what do you mean, we?" Before Melissa could answer, Ellie was squirming on her hip in excitement.

"Michael!" she shouted. She wiggled her way out of Amelia's arms and ran across the clearing. Amelia turned to see Michael, along with a tall brown-haired man with broad shoulders, stepping out from the trees surrounding the clearing.

Daryl watched as Ellie ran towards the huge black man entering the clearing with Rick. He was carrying a dead rabbit in one large hand and as Ellie grew closer, he handed it to Rick then strode forward a few steps, knelt and swept the little girl into his arms. She laughed and clasped him about the neck as he swung her in a few circles before settling her in the crook of one meaty arm.

"Ellie baby - you are a vision for these old eyes of mine." He said. His voice was warm and deep.

Ellie laughed and kissed him on the cheek before resting her head companionably against his. "I missed you Michael."

"And I you Miss Ellie." He squeezed her tightly then smiled broadly as Amelia scurried towards them.

Standing next to Carol, Daryl watched with narrowed eyes as Amelia grew closer to Michael. Just before reaching him she stumbled over an exposed root but Michael reached out and caught her neatly with one arm before she could fall.

He picked her up as easily as he had picked up Ellie, pulling her against him in a bone-crushing hug, his hand curving familiarly around her hip. Without realizing what he was doing Daryl edged closer to them; his hands curled into fists.

"Hey white girl." Michael smiled as Amelia clasped his face between her hands.

"I thought you were dead." She whispered. She rested her forehead against his for a moment.

He drew a deep breath, "You know I'm too tough to die."

She laughed, tears pooling in her eyes and then surprised him by planting a loud kiss on his mouth. She realized that the others had gathered around them and suddenly embarrassed she wiggled against him, "Put me down tough guy."

He squeezed her against him for a minute more, kissed her forehead and then set her gently on the ground. She stepped back and from the corner of her eye caught Daryl glaring at them both.

Let him glare. He had found his people and she had found hers.

"What about you Miss Ellie?" Michael nuzzled her hair with his nose. "You want down too?"

"Nu-uh!" Ellie shook her head emphatically. She slung one thin arm around his neck and settled comfortably into the crook of his arm.

Michael winked at her and she regarded him solemnly. "Maria is dead." She announced.

Michael winced, "I know Ellie baby."

"I saw her die. She was trying to get me away from the bad people and then the bad people got her." She ran her small hand over Michael's shaved head.

"Amelia and Daryl saved me." She continued to rub Michael's head.

"I'm glad. I have been very sad without you around Miss Ellie." Daryl's face twisted when Michael reached out and took Amelia's hand, squeezing it gently before linking their fingers.

"I miss Maria a lot." She tucked her head into Michael's neck.

An awkward silence fell over the group before the tall man beside Michael stepped forward.

"Rick Grimes, ma'am." He held his hand out to Amelia.

She pulled her hand from Michael's and shook his hand firmly. "Amelia."

"Nice to meet you Amelia. I see you already know some of us; let me introduce you to the rest."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Amelia wrapped her hands around her mug of tea, letting the heat from the cup warm her hands. It was mid-afternoon and after a round of introductions were made, the group had settled around the large table in the dining room of the main lodge.

"I still can't believe you saw that scarf man." T-Dog shook his head. "I told Glen we needed something more obvious."

Daryl shrugged, glancing at Carol sitting beside him, "I saw it just fine. Knew it was hers because it smelled like her."

Glen laughed as Carol flushed and glanced down at the table.

"Back half an hour and already telling Carol she smells." Glen laughed again.

"That ain't what I meant." Daryl's face reddened.

Carol patted his hand gently, "He's just teasing you."

Anger diffused, Daryl relaxed in his chair, "What if I hadn't seen the scarf?"

T-Dog and Glen looked at each other, "That reminds me Glen. I need to take that sign down." T-Dog grinned at the young man.

"What sign?" Daryl stared at them both.

T-Dog shrugged, "Let's just say I didn't have the faith that Glen here did. I put up a sign further on down the road that said – " he paused, making sure he had the attention of the entire group, "Turn around hillbilly. I figured that would catch your attention."

He laughed delightedly as the rest of the group chuckled. Daryl rolled his eyes and mockingly raised his fist at T-Dog.

Daryl glanced in Amelia's direction. She was sitting at the opposite end of the table beside Michael. Ellie was sitting on his lap and nodding off by the looks of it. Michael's arm was draped casually over the back of Amelia's chair and Daryl frowned as he leaned over and whispered something in her ear. She smiled at him, a warm genuine smile, and Daryl's stomach clenched. When Michael reached up and tugged gently on her braid, Daryl forced himself to look away. If he kept watching Michael touch Amelia, he was going to do something he would regret later. He stared down at the table in front of him; at least Michael hadn't been one of the men who had tried to get some answers out of him with their fists. Actually he kind of wished Michael had been one of those men. He would have an excuse to kick him out of the camp and away from Amelia.

"Daryl?" He looked up at Rick.

"How exactly did you meet up with Amelia and Ellie here?" the rest of the group quieted as they waited for the answer to Rick's question.

Daryl bit the skin on the side of his thumb. He wasn't sure how to word the story. Before he could say anything, Amelia spoke in a soft, but clear voice.

"That's my fault I'm afraid. I was – "she paused and gave Michael a guilty look, "in the woods and Daryl saved me from a bunch of Walkers. Unfortunately, the people in my group thought he was attacking me, knocked him out and took him back to our camp. I was trying to convince them to let him go but they - well – they were nervous about just letting him walk away."

She took a deep breath, "Then the farmhouse was attacked and Daryl helped Ellie and I escape."

She mistook the group's silence as an accusatory one and flushed. "I told the others he had saved my life. They were just being cautious."

Michael jumped to her rescue, "We were finding it was safer to treat people as potential threats until they proved they weren't."

Daryl snorted loudly.

Michael stared at him, "We were just looking out for our own. We meant no harm to you or anyone else."

"Oh yeah?" Daryl glared at him, "You call slaughtering innocent women and children not doin' harm to no one?"

Amelia felt the blood drain from her face as the rest of the group stared at Michael. She could feel a sudden shift in the mood of the group. Rick, obviously the group's leader, was sitting forward in his chair. She watched him subtly nod at T-Dog, who was sitting closest to Michael. T-Dog shifted and casually dropped his hands below the table.

"Oh no, please." She thought.

Michael shifted the sleeping Ellie into a more comfortable position. "What are you talking about?"

Daryl barked, "You know exactly what I mean."

Michael glanced at Amelia, her face was white and she was noticeably trembling.

"No, I'm afraid I don't." Michael was angry now; he could feel waves of tension and fear radiating from Amelia, and the thought that she was afraid of Daryl or that he had harmed her was making his blood boil.

"Why don't you explain it to me? Unlike you, I'm not an uneducated redneck who probably can't find his ass with both hands. " He spoke through gritted teeth.

Daryl stood up abruptly. His chair fell over with a loud bang, waking Ellie and scaring her into tears. Michael passed Ellie to Melissa and stood up.

"You wanna take this outside?" Daryl was seething with rage. Rick stood up and placed one hand on Daryl's shoulder but he shook him off roughly.

"Fine by me. Let's see what you're made of." Michael retorted.

Oh God. Amelia's heart was in her throat. She had no doubt of Daryl's toughness but Michael was well over six feet and outweighed him by at least 80 pounds. She had to do something before Michael flattened him like a pancake.

"Stop it! Both of you!" she put a restraining hand on Michael's arm who sat back down beside her.

"Daryl, please." She gave him a pleading look and he picked up his chair and sat down, glowering at them both.

"Michael… Tony told me what happened." She said softly.

"Told you what happened?" he stared at her in bewilderment.

"The hunting party – when he was shot. He told me what really happened."

He frowned at her, "The group was attacked."

Amelia stared at him. Was he being deliberately obtuse? She couldn't tell. He certainly looked confused to her.

"Amelia, what are you talking about?" Melissa asked her.

Amelia swallowed, "When Tony was dying he told me that our group had attacked the other group first. That they ambushed them and they - they killed the entire group, women and children included, so they could take their supplies."

"Oh my God." Michael whispered. His face was ashen.

Melissa stared at her, "That can't be true. Tony had to be lying."

"Melissa, Tony was dying. What reason would he have to lie?"

Amelia turned to Michael. He was staring blankly at her, his face grey, his hands trembling minutely.

"Amelia," he whispered, "I swear to you, I didn't know. Jeremy and Jose and I, we weren't with them when it happened. We had split up from the main group and we only heard the gun shots. They came back for us and told us what happened."

Amelia sagged with relief. She had no idea how much the thought of Michael being a coldblooded killer was weighing on her until this moment.

"You weren't…" he swallowed. "You weren't lost in the woods that day were you Lia?"

She shook her head. "No. I was leaving the group. I couldn't stay Michael, not after what Tony had told me. I was attacked by Walkers and I dropped my supplies. I would have died if Daryl hadn't saved me." She squeezed his hand reassuringly but he stood up and without looking at her, left the lodge.

Amelia jumped up to follow him. Melissa grabbed her arm. "Give him a few minutes." She said.

Amelia shook her head. "No, I need to speak with him."

Once outside, she spotted him at the very outskirts of the clearing, leaning against a large tree. She approached him and placed a soft hand on his arm.

"Are you okay?"

He stared at her, "Are you sure Tony wasn't lying to you?"

"I'm sure." She said simply.

"I just, I can't believe they would do something like that. Ron was in that group and Tom. My friends…" he trailed off looking into the woods.

"I'm so sorry Michael."

He turned towards her and frowned. Amelia looked behind her and saw Daryl standing a few feet away with Rick and Glen coming up behind him.

"I don't like the way he looks at you Lia." He said in a low, angry voice.

"He's a bit rough around the edges but he's a good man and he saved my life and Ellie's."

Michael snorted through his nose.

"It's true Michael." She insisted. She reached up and took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.

"Despite what our people, our _friends_ did to him, he saved our lives. He had the chance to abandon us at the farmhouse and he didn't. He could have abandoned us on the side of the road after the farmhouse and he didn't." she gave him a pale smile.

"Just give him a chance." She pleaded, "I think you could be friends."

"I doubt that Amelia." Michael stared at Daryl darkly for a moment.

"Why didn't you tell me?" his dark brown eyes searched hers. "You were just leaving. No good-bye. No explanation. Why didn't you trust me?"

"I thought you were a part of the group. You never mentioned that you weren't there." She responded.

"Do you really think I could do something like that? Do you Lia?" he took her by the upper arms and shook her lightly. From the corner of her vision she could see Daryl starting forward and Rick placing a hand on his arm.

"I didn't know Michael! Tony told me what happened and I was in shock and I didn't know what to think. " She could feel tears starting in her eyes and blinked them away angrily.

Michael sighed and pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his sternum as he rubbed her back with his big, warm hands, "No. I'm sorry Lia. I shouldn't be badgering you like this. It's just, at the farmhouse I couldn't find you, and Melissa and I had to leave or we would have died. I was sure you were dead Amelia. I was devastated."

She smiled up at him and gave him a squeeze before detangling herself from his arms. "Well, I'm not dead and either are you and we're with a group of people who seem good and kind. We've got some kind of luck on our side; what are the odds that we would even find each other again?"

"You're right. C'mon, you're shivering. Let's go back inside with the others." Michael draped his arm around her shoulder and led her towards the three men waiting for them.

As they approached, Daryl shook off Rick's hand and stepped towards Amelia. "I need to speak to you in private Amelia." He demanded.

"Anything you have to say to her, you can say to all of us." Michael replied.

Amelia pushed his arm off her shoulder, "Just give us a minute Michael." She followed Daryl a short distance away from the others.

"What is it?" she asked.

"So that's it?" he snarled.

"That's what?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"Yer just gonna believe him?"

"Why wouldn't I?" she retorted.

"He gives you some story about how he conveniently wasn't there when those people were killed and you believe him just like that."

"Oh for God's sake Daryl." She rolled her eyes.

Michael watched with growing tension as Daryl and Amelia spoke in low, hushed tones. They were too far away for him to hear what they were discussing but it was clear that the hotheaded redneck was growing angrier.

"He always this stupid?" he grunted to Glen.

"Watch your mouth Michael." Rick said calmly. "Daryl's a good man."

Michael shrugged, "If you say so."

Without warning, Amelia balled her hand into a fist and slugged Daryl in the face, knocking him on his ass.

"Holy shit!" Glen breathed and the three men ran towards Amelia who was hopping around, holding her hand and cursing like a sailor.

"I told you what would happen if you called me a bitch again Daryl!" she shouted at him.

"Quiet!" Rick hissed. He looked around the clearing as Daryl shook off Glen's hand and stood up. He wiped the blood from his lip and looked disbelievingly at it. Michael tucked Amelia behind his large body but she stepped around him and glared at Daryl. Her face was pale except for a bright red spot high on each cheekbone. Her absolute fury with him had turned her normally soft and pretty features into a cold and ruthless type of beauty.

The walkie-talkie on Rick's belt suddenly squawked.

"Rick, come in Rick. Over."

Rick pulled the radio from his belt, "What is it Frank?"

What's going on down there? You trying to attract geeks?" Frank's voice was thin and full of static.

"No. Everything's good. Any sign of Walkers?" Rick squinted into the distance. Amelia followed his gaze and was shocked to see a barrel chested man standing in what looked like a deer blind high up in a tree a few feet into the woods. A smaller man was sitting on the edge of the blind, feet dangling over the side, a sandwich in his hand."

"All clear. But y'all might want to think about being quieter out here."

"Will do Frank. Glen and Carol will be up to spell you and Andy in half an hour."

"Sounds good."

"Daryl, have Melissa look at that cut on your lip." Rick ran a hand through his thick brown hair.

"I'm fine." Daryl stormed back to the main lodge.

Rick sighed and turned towards the others. "Amelia, Hershel is a, well he has medical experience, have him look at your hand."

Amelia nodded. As she started towards the lodge, Michael trailing behind her, Rick's soft voice stopped them.

"Do me a favor guys? Stay away from Daryl for a while."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Amelia winced as Hershel gently manipulated her hand. Already the knuckles were swelling and she hissed under her breath as he probed at them.

"Well, I don't think it's broken." Hershel smiled comfortingly at her.

"Of course, it's hard to be sure without an x-ray, there's the chance that it could have a slight fracture." He pushed gently on her knuckles once more. She winced again and he patted her hand softly.

"I'd tell you to ice it but – "he shrugged giving her a wry smile. "Try to put a cool cloth on it a few times a day. Hopefully the swelling will go down within a few days. In the meantime, I'm afraid you'll have to use your left hand for everything."

Amelia sighed with frustration. What had she been thinking? She hadn't been - that was the problem. Daryl had made her angry and she had lashed out. Now she was paying the price.

Hershel smiled at her again, "So you hit Daryl in the face huh?"

She flushed and nodded.

He laughed a little, "Don't worry; one of our own shot him in the head not too long ago and he survived that. A punch to the face is nothing for him."

Amelia's mouth dropped open. He was kidding, wasn't he? She decided she didn't want to know and changed the subject, "So… you're a doctor then?"

He shook his head, "No ma'am. I'm a veterinarian. "

When Amelia didn't say anything, he said "Did you want your young friend Melissa to look at your hand? I won't be offended."

Amelia laughed, "Nope. A mammal's a mammal right?"

Hershel nodded and stood up to leave. He looked around the small cabin. This is a nice one; I don't think I've been in this particular cabin before."

Amelia followed his gaze. It was a nice cabin. While they were waiting for Hershel at the main lodge, she had been approached by Rick's wife Lori.

"We should talk about where you and Ellie are going to stay. You could stay with Melissa or Carol; they're both in cabins by themselves. Or you can stay in a cabin by yourself. There are a few empty ones, Daryl's already taken one but there's a smaller one that's free. "

Michael spoke up behind her, "You and Ellie can stay with me Amelia."

Ellie, who had run to Michael as soon as they returned, smiled from her spot in his arms. "Do you have checkers?"

"What?" Michael gazed at her curiously.

"Do you have checkers? Daryl taught me to play checkers, I like it." She giggled.

"I can look Ellie baby." He kissed her soft cheek then smiled at Amelia. "What do you say?"

Amelia took a deep breath, "Actually, I think it's better if I take the smaller cabin. Thank you anyway Michael."

He frowned but before he could argue, Ellie pouted and said, "I wanna stay with Michael."

"That's fine baby girl. You can stay with Michael, if he's okay with that." Amelia smiled at her.

"Of course Miss Ellie, you can stay with me anytime you want." He stared at Amelia as he answered Ellie. "Anytime at all." He repeated softly.

Hershel spoke up, "Amelia, I'll show you where the cabin is and we'll take a look at your hand."

Now, looking at the room around her, Amelia was happy that she had chosen to stay in this cabin. It was nearly identical to the one that she, Daryl and Ellie had stayed in, right down to the blue checkered curtains and matching seat covers. It would be perfect for her and she could use some time to herself.

Hershel spoke from the doorway, "Are you coming back to the lodge Amelia? We'll be cooking dinner soon; we all eat together in the main lodge."

Amelia nodded and followed him out the door, shutting it carefully behind her.

Amelia leaned back in her chair and subtly watched the group around her. She was sitting between the man who had been in the deer blind, she thought his name was Frank, and the dark haired girl Maggie. Michael and Ellie were sitting across from her and Daryl was at the other end of the table. He had been quiet the entire meal, speaking only when spoken to and he had refused to even acknowledge her existence the entire dinner.

"Fine by me." She thought irritably. "I _told_ him not to call me a bitch."

"Get enough to eat ma'am?" Frank asked her.

"I did, thank you." She smiled at him. It was true; there had been plenty of food for everyone. Sure the vegetables had all been canned but they were still tasty and the rabbit had been delicious - tender and juicy. It had been awkward eating with her left hand and she had to ask Maggie to cut up her meat for her but she had at least managed not to spill food on her shirt.

"So Frank, how did you meet up with everyone?" she was curious to know more about Daryl's group and hopefully, she might learn some stuff about Daryl as well.

"Actually ma'am, Andy and I just ran into this group about a week ago. It's a good thing we did too; Andy was feeling real poorly and Hershel over there fixed him right up. Bad case of food poisoning he said. They invited us to join them and we accepted. It's good to be with more people you know?"

She smiled, "Yes, it most definitely is."

We were travelling with them for a few days, then Daryl there disappeared, and after a day we moved on."

He shook his head. "They were some upset when that fella went missing. Especially Carol. She was adamant that we weren't leaving without him but Rick didn't give us much choice. Course it all worked out in the end, we're one big happy family again. Well...mostly." he looked down at her swollen hand with a sly grin.

Amelia blushed and was grateful when Rick, sitting a few seats down, leaned forward and interrupted them, "Amelia, we have a few rules that we follow at the camp. It's for everyone's safety."

Amelia nodded for him to continue.

"We always have at least 2 people on watch and we rotate shifts. You don't have to volunteer for watch duty but it makes everyone else's load easier if you do."

"I'm more than happy to help out." Amelia said. "In fact, I can take a shift tonight if you'd like."

Rick shook his head, "That won't be necessary. We've already got the shift covered for tonight and with your sore hand you won't be able to climb up to the stand anyway. In a few days we'll rotate you into the schedule."

Amelia nodded and glanced at Daryl. He was staring down at his plate seemingly oblivious to everyone else at the table.

Rick continued, "It's important that we stay quiet when we're outside and really - at any time. No point in making more noise than necessary. As well, once it's dark everyone except for those on watch stay in their cabins. No leaving until it's light out. If you're at someone else's cabin and it's dark before you realize it, you stay with them until the next morning. With the shutters on the windows and the good, thick doors, these cabins are pretty secure and we feel it's best that everyone stay indoors at night. In the morning, the person on watch will knock on your door and let you know it's safe to come out to the main lodge. If they don't knock, you don't come out. Understand?"

Amelia nodded and Rick smiled at her. "The most important thing is to stay quiet and to be alert at all times. We all watch out for each other here."

Michael reached across the table and took her good hand in his own, "Amelia, are you sure you won't stay with me? I'd feel better if you did."

Not even daring to look in Daryl's direction, Amelia shook her head. "I'm sure Michael."

He sighed loudly, "Then stay with Melissa or Carol. I don't like the idea of you being alone."

Amelia gave him a stubborn look, "I'll be perfectly fine. Rick has explained the rules; I'll follow them and stay safe. If I change my mind, I know where to find you."

Abruptly Daryl stood up and left the table. The group sat in silence for a moment until Maggie smiled at Amelia, "So, where are you from originally Amelia?"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Oh for the love of God!" Amelia cursed and banged her good hand on the small counter in the cabin.

She had been trying, unsuccessfully, for the last 5 minutes to take her bra off. Apparently her left hand was more useless than she thought.

"For heaven's sake idiot, it's 3 little clasps! What is your problem?" she spoke out loud.

"Need some help?"

Amelia let out a breathless scream and whirled around. Daryl was standing in the doorway of her cabin. He shut the door behind him as she frowned. "Jesus Daryl, do you not know how to knock?"

He had the grace to look embarrassed before he scowled, "Do you not know how to lock your door?"

"Whatever." She muttered. She realized belatedly that she was standing in the small kitchen in just her bra and jeans and turned away from him.

"Why are you here?" she asked

He didn't answer and she was about to repeat her question when she suddenly felt his breath on the back of his neck. Her body broke out in goose bumps when he trailed one finger down her bare spine.

"I thought we should talk about what happened earlier. But first, let me help you out of this." He tugged gently on her bra strap and she shivered as heat flooded her body and her lower body began to throb.

"I don't need your help." She whispered, trying to regain control of the situation.

"Oh really?" he placed a warm, wet kiss on her right shoulder.

She gasped, "Yes."

She could hear the smile in his voice when he said, "Really? Because I've been standing in yer doorway watching you struggle for the last few minutes."

"Do you always spy on half-naked women?" she tried to sound disgruntled and failed miserably.

"Only you Amelia – only you." He whispered.

His declaration sent a tremor through her body. Why did it sound like he was talking about something more?

Before she could process that thought, Daryl's fingers were on the clasp of her bra. She waited as he fumbled at the clasp before grunting in frustration, "Jesus, what the hell?"

She giggled a little. "Should we call for reinforcements?"

He grunted again, "There's something wrong with the hook thingy. Just wait…" he yanked on the back of her bra, nearly pulling her off her feet.

"Shit Daryl - don't rip it! It's the only bra I have."

He snorted, "Ya don't need one anyway."

She rolled her eyes, "Um, yes I do. Here, let me try again." She reached behind with her left hand but he swatted it away irritably.

"Hold yer horses woman, I got this." He bent down, she could feel his breath on the middle of her back, and studied the clasp. "The hook thing is bent, hold on."

She could feel him gently pulling and just like that, she got the giggles. She was going insane. Six hours earlier this man had made her so angry she had punched him in the face. Now he was carefully and studiously trying to remove her bra and she couldn't stop laughing. Her body shook and tears streamed down her face as she thought about the absurdity of her situation.

"Yer laughing ain't helpin' woman." He muttered, his breath puffing against her back.

"Sorry." She snorted and hiccupped and buried her face in the crook of her arm in a desperate attempt to control herself. Daryl waited patiently until her giggles tapered off before continuing.

With a quiet rumble of satisfaction, he tugged gently and her bra loosened. He pushed the straps down and removed her bra, placing it on the counter beside her. Suddenly feeling shy and unsure, she crossed her arms over her breasts as he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the back of her shoulder.

She cleared her throat, "You wanted to talk to me about earlier."

"Hmm?" he was trailing a path of kisses from one shoulder blade to the other, his hands stroking her upper arms.

"Daryl, we should talk about earlier." She tried again.

"Right, earlier." He muttered. He licked the top of her shoulder sending shivers of pure desire down her back.

He stepped closer until she could feel the warm leather of his vest against her back and sucked gently on her earlobe. His hands tugged at her arms. He kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear and with a groan she dropped her arms. He pulled her back against him and cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over the nipples. They tightened and she moaned as he licked her neck and plucked roughly on both of her nipples.

"I like it when ya moan." He whispered in her ear.

She turned towards him, suddenly desperate for his mouth on hers, but as she turned she knocked her swollen right hand against the counter.

She gasped, tears coming to her eyes as pain rippled through her knuckles. She raised her hand protectively to her chest, blinking back the tears.

Daryl frowned and reached for her hand.

"No, please." She murmured trying to dodge his touch.

"Let me see." He took her hand and examined it carefully. The knuckles were swollen and he could see the beginning of the bruises that would be there by the morning.

"Is it broken?" he asked

She shook her head, "Hershel doesn't think so. But it hurts like hell." She smiled ruefully at him.

He raised her hand to his mouth and placed a soft, tender kiss on each knuckle.

She stared at him, surprised into silence by his tenderness.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded and he smiled slyly at her. "Maybe you should return the favour."

She rolled her eyes as he pointed to his jaw. "It hurts here." She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his jaw.

"And here." he pointed to the corner of his mouth. Smiling, she placed another chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth.

"Here." He touched his bottom lip where she could see a small cut from where she had punched him.

Frowning, she kissed his bottom lip. He winced a little and she pulled back, "I'm sorry."

He raised one eyebrow, "For punching me?"

"No. You deserved that. I'm sorry it hurt when I kissed you." She answered.

"Fair enough." Still holding her hurt hand he moved it away from their bodies then surprised her by snaking one strong arm around her bare waist and yanking her against him.

"Daryl I think – " her protest turned into a moan as he gently bit and nibbled her throat. He let go of her hand and cupped one breast again.

Using her left hand, Amelia pulled on the back of Daryl's neck until he was looking at her. She kissed his cheekbone then the strong line of his jaw before kissing down his throat. He pulled her mouth towards his and kissed her hard. If it hurt his lip he made no indication. They broke apart and panting harshly Daryl shrugged out of his vest and pulled his shirt over his head. He dropped them both indifferently to the floor and pulled Amelia against him. She ran her left hand lightly over the scars on his back.

"How?" she whispered against his mouth.

He shook his head, "A story for another time."

She kissed him slowly and lightly, feeling sorrow for what he had been through. He pulled her hand away from the scars and placed a soft kiss in the palm of her hand before putting her index finger in his mouth and sucking on it. She thrust her hips against him.

In response, Daryl reached between them and tugged at the button on her jeans. She froze and he whispered, "Just helpin' ya Amelia, what with your sore hand and all."

She swallowed hard as he unbuttoned her jeans and slowly pulled the zipper down. She stood still, hardly breathing as he rested his hand against her flat stomach. He kissed her neck, her jaw and the tip of her nose before claiming her mouth once more. He kissed her gently this time, tongue softly stroking hers and as she relaxed in his arms, he deftly slipped his hand into her panties. His fingers found her soft pink nub and began to rub it with slow, hard pressure.

Amelia moaned and tore her mouth from his. She threw her head back, staring sightlessly up at the ceiling of the cabin as he continued to rub in slow, small circles. She could feel her body beginning to spiral almost immediately, her hips thrust against him helplessly as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. When he stopped abruptly, she groaned in frustration and in a voice thick with desire whispered, "Please Daryl. Oh please."

He slid one finger into her and they both cried out – her at the unexpected violation and he at her warm, wet tightness. He moved his finger slowly, watching her face as she moaned and sighed, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

"So wet Amelia, so tight." He groaned against her throat.

He kissed her again, his tongue mimicking the movement of his finger and when he used his thumb to apply gentle pressure against her clit, Amelia came immediately, shuddering and shaking against him. He kissed her fiercely, swallowing her loud cries of pleasure with his mouth.

She buried her face in his neck, shuddering and breathing harshly, trying to catch her breath. Pleasure still radiated through her body and as she shifted in his arms, she could feel his erection pushing against her hip.

"Thank you." She whispered almost shyly.

"Yer welcome." He kissed the tip of her nose then glanced in the direction of her bed.

"Bed?" he raised one eyebrow.

"Yes, definitely." She kissed him hard on the mouth, needing him to feel how much she wanted him.

He groaned into her mouth and she gave a quiet shriek of surprise when he suddenly lifted her up against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, rubbing herself against his erection and continued to kiss him as he started towards the bed.

He had only taken a few steps when there was a knock at her door. They both froze. Amelia stared wild-eyed at Daryl, "Tell me you locked the door." She breathed.

He nodded and eased her to the floor.

"Amelia, it's Michael. Can I come in?"

Daryl grimaced as they quickly put their shirts back on. "Uh, just give me a minute Michael." Amelia called.

She looked at her bra, realized the impossibility of it, and quickly shoved it into one of the cupboards in the kitchen.

Using her left hand, she awkwardly buttoned her jeans as Ellie's small voice called through the door, "Amelia, we're here."

"Be right there baby!" she smoothed her hair down and pulled at her t-shirt. Hopefully it wasn't completely obvious that she was braless.

Glancing briefly at Daryl, he was sitting at the kitchen table looking calm and collected and she cursed him inwardly for his self-control, she took one final deep breath and opened the door of the cabin.

"Hi Amelia!" Ellie said brightly from her spot in Michael's arms.

"Hello Ellie baby." Amelia smiled at her and was grateful when the small girl reached for her. She plucked her from Michael's arms using one arm and kissed her soft cheek. "Did you come for a goodnight kiss?" She kept the girl in her arms, using her to hide the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra.

Michael smiled, "Actually, Miss Ellie has changed her mind. She was missing you and wanted to sleep in your cabin tonight." He stepped into the cabin, "So I told her I would bring her over before it got too late and I thought maybe – " he paused, his face darkened and he scowled when he spied Daryl sitting at the table.

"I didn't realize you had company." He said. Michael stared suspiciously at Amelia for a moment. She knew what she looked like - mouth swollen, cheeks flushed. Her legs were still trembling from her explosive orgasm only a few minutes earlier. She tried not to blush as he stared at her for a long, quiet moment.

"Hi Daryl." Ellie waved at him, breaking the silence.

"Hey." He nodded at her.

"What are you doing here?" Michael asked brusquely.

"He came to apologize for earlier." Amelia broke in before Daryl could answer him.

Ellie, oblivious to the tension in the room, yawned and laid her head on Amelia's shoulder. "I want a story 'Melia."

"Sure honey." Amelia shifted her on her hip. She smiled at Michael, "Thank you for bringing her over Michael."

He nodded and glanced out the open door, "It's almost dark; time for everyone to return to their cabins for the night." He looked pointedly at Daryl.

"Good idea." Amelia couldn't stop the nervous flow of chatter from her mouth. "Thank you again Michael for bringing Ellie and Daryl, thank you for..." she paused, "Um, for the apology."

Daryl nodded and crossed the kitchen towards the door. He passed Michael and stopped at the door. "After you." He gave Michael a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Isn't Daryl sleeping in the bed with us?" Ellie asked innocently.

Amelia turned scarlet. She could almost see the steam coming from Michael's ears. "Um - no honey. Daryl has his own cabin now."

"Oh." Ellie smiled at Daryl. "Hug please."

Daryl looked at her uncomfortably. "Uh..." he glanced helplessly at Amelia, she only shrugged at him. He looked at the door, obviously considering just leaving, then suddenly strode forward and stood in front of Amelia and Ellie. She watched his face tighten as Ellie leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Night Daryl."

He patted her arm. "Night Ellie."

She released him and he stepped back quickly. He nodded to Amelia and turned back to the door, once again waiting for Michael to leave first.

"Night Michael!" Ellie blew the large man a kiss and he pretended to catch it in his hand making her giggle.

"Night Miss Ellie. Night Amelia." He stared at her and she stared back nervously before dropping her gaze.

"Good night Michael."

Still carrying Ellie, Amelia followed them to the door, watching the two men trudge to their separate cabins before shutting and locking the door. She laid her head on Ellie's, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

"Story time?" Ellie smiled at her hopefully.

"Yes honey." Amelia sighed, "Story time."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Here let me help you with that." Amelia climbed the steps of the small front porch and held the door open for Maggie. Maggie, juggling what looked like a pile of her clothes and Glen's, smiled gratefully at her. Amelia followed her into the cabin, looking around curiously. It was next to her cabin and similar to hers except it was larger with an extra door that she guessed led to the bedroom.

She smiled a bit nervously at Maggie as she dumped the clothes onto the couch. It was late afternoon and Amelia had spent most of the day avoiding Michael and trying, unsuccessfully, to find a quiet moment to speak with Daryl. She had sat beside Maggie again at lunch and they had cautiously begun to get to know each other.

"Would you like a glass of water?" Maggie asked.

Amelia nodded and took the glass of water, grimacing at the flat, boiled taste of it. She joined Maggie at the small table in the kitchen.

"So, how long have you and Glen been together?" she asked.

Maggie smiled, "Not long. We only met a few weeks ago." She took her own sip of water.

"He seems like a really nice guy."

"He is." She said simply.

Amelia cleared her throat nervously. She had something to ask Maggie and now seemed to be the best time.

"Um, Maggie – I have a favor to ask you." She willed herself not to blush.

Maggie stared at her curiously, "Go ahead."

"Well I was wondering if, um, well…" despite her best efforts she could feel the heat rising from her chest to her face.

She took a deep breath and just blurted it out, "Do you have any condoms I could have?"

Maggie gaped at her for a moment. "Oh! Sure. Is it – " now it was Maggie's turn to blush, "Michael?"

Before Amelia could reply, she shook her head. "Never mind - it's none of my business." She left the room and returned with a few strips of foil.

Amelia took them from her, using her left hand to stuff them awkwardly into her front pocket. After what had happened between her and Daryl last night, and what she hoped would continue tonight, she wanted to have her bases covered.

Maggie gave her a knowing grin. "Use them sparingly." She advised. "They're in short supply."

Before Amelia could reply, there was a soft knock on the door and Michael stuck his head into the cabin.

"Hey white girl, I've been looking all over for you. Can I speak to you for a moment?" He smiled at her.

Amelia nodded. "Sure. Maggie, thanks for the water. I'll see you at dinner?"

Maggie grinned, "You bet. Bye Amelia. Bye Michael."

Amelia followed Michael onto the porch of her cabin. He sat down on the small wicker couch and patted the spot beside him. She sat down, knots of apprehension forming in her belly.

"I haven't seen you all day. Have you been hiding from me?" Michael teased.

"Of course not. I've just been getting to know the others in the group." Amelia replied defensively.

She tensed a little when Michael reached out and took her good hand in his large one. His hand was warm and he rubbed his thumb over the back of her cold one.

She smiled tentatively at him, "Where's your little shadow?"

He laughed, "Miss Ellie is currently visiting Carol. There's a cupboard with craft supplies in the main lodge and Carol cut some paper dolls out of construction paper for her to play with."

"That's nice." Amelia murmured.

Michael shifted closer to her, dropping her hand and placing his arm across the back of the couch behind her. "I can't tell you how happy I am you and Ellie are alive, Lia."

She brushed nervously at a spot of dirt on her jeans. "We were so happy to see you too Michael. Especially Ellie, she really missed you."

He leaned in and took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "And you Amelia? Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did Michael. We're friends aren't we?" she whispered. She leaned away from him and he sighed heavily.

"What's wrong Lia?"

She shook her head, "Nothing."

He frowned at her, "You believe me right? That I didn't know about the ambush." His brown eyes stared pleadingly into hers.

"Of course I do Michael!" she exclaimed. He suddenly looked so miserable and alone that she felt guilty about being so cool towards him. She wrapped her arms around him, being careful not to bump her sore hand on his shoulder and rested her forehead against his.

"I believe you." She smiled sincerely at him.

With a low groan he pulled her against him and placed a warm, gentle kiss on her mouth. Startled into complicity, she didn't resist when he cupped her face and deepened the kiss. After a moment, she pulled away from him, "Michael, I'm sorry this isn't - "

He glanced across the yard and frowned, "Can we help you redneck?"

Her heart dropping into her stomach, Amelia turned to see Daryl standing a few feet away from the porch. He stared at them unblinkingly; hands curled into fists, the expression on his face suggested he was seriously contemplating killing them both.

Amelia pushed away from Michael. She jumped to her feet and started to walk down the porch steps. At her approach, Daryl shook his head lightly, warningly. She paused, not sure what to do, and a ripple of irritation ran through her body when she felt Michael's arm drape possessively over her shoulder.

"What do you want Daryl?" he asked again.

"Nothin'." He growled. "I can see yer busy."

He turned to go and Amelia shoved Michael's arm off her shoulders and called out, "Daryl wait…please."

He ignored her and stalked across the yard before disappearing into the woods.

Michael squeezed her shoulder, and then dropped a kiss on the back of her neck. "Forget about him Amelia. He's just a dumb hick."

She turned on him angrily, "Knock it off Michael! Daryl is neither dumb or a hick. He saved my life remember? For someone who is so happy that I'm here, I would think you'd show more gratitude towards the man who is responsible for that."

He held his hands up, "Whoa. Okay Amelia, okay. I'm sorry. It's just, since you got here I've been trying to spend some alone time with you and every time I think it's just you and I, Daryl shows up. He's like your damn stalker."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh for Pete's sake Michael, stop being a drama queen."

Michael ran a frustrated hand across his shaved head, "Amelia, what is going on with you two? Are you – are you sleeping with him?"

Amelia blushed, "That's none of your business."

He stared at her for a long moment, "I'm just trying to look out for you Amelia. I care for you." He paused, "I care for you deeply and I want to keep you safe." He reached for her, trying to pull her into a hug.

Amelia backed away from him, "I am not yours to keep safe Michael."

A look of hurt crossed his face and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I thought you cared for me." He whispered.

She sighed, "I do Michael. We're friends. Good friends." She accented the last friend and folded her arms over her torso.

He nodded and turned to go, "I'll see you at supper Amelia."

She watched him walk across the clearing before collapsing on the steps of the porch and dropping her head into her hands. Why was life so complicated?

Amelia paced nervously in her cabin. It was getting close to dark out, if Daryl was going to show up, it would be any moment. He had disappeared all afternoon, finally showing up just before supper with a belt full of dead squirrels.

After supper, she had approached him, placing a soft hand on his arm.

"Daryl, can I speak to you for a moment?"

He had shook his head and refused to look at her, "Got nothin' to say to ya."

"Please." She had pleaded. Ellie was closing in on them and so she had squeezed his arm and asked, "Come to my cabin later okay? Please, I want to explain."

He hadn't replied, just shook off her hand and walked away. As Ellie tugged on her t-shirt impatiently, Amelia had caught Carol staring at her with a look of sympathy on her soft face. Amelia was grateful Ellie had demanded her attention; she hadn't wanted to see sympathy from that woman of all people.

She had retired to her cabin after supper, Ellie had decided she was definitely staying with Michael this time, and now, as the minutes ticked by, the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach grew and grew.

There was a knock on the door, "Thank God." She whispered. She flew to the door and flung it open.

"Hi Amelia!" Ellie smiled at her brightly. Once again she was nestled in Michael's arms and he passed her over without saying anything.

"Hi Ellie." Amelia hid the disappointment in her voice. "Change your mind again?"

"Yup!" Ellie nodded proudly and wrapped her arm around Amelia's neck.

"Thank you Michael." She gave him a small, nervous smile.

He nodded, pausing as if he was going to say something before thinking better of it and just blowing a kiss to Ellie.

"G'night Miss Ellie. Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

Ellie giggled and pretended to catch the kiss. "Night Michael."

"All clear." Early the next morning Maggie knocked a couple times on Amelia's cabin door before moving on to the next one.

Amelia smiled at Ellie, "Shall we go join the others for breakfast Ellie baby?"

The little girl smiled, "Yes! Carol said she would make me more paper dolls today!"

Amelia took the girl's hand in hers and headed for the front door. She was determined to find Daryl today and force him to listen to her.

She opened the door and she and Ellie stepped out into the cool air. The weather was growing steadily colder and although the sun had shone brightly the last 2 days and there had been no more episodes of freezing rain, there was a definite chill in the air. She took a deep breath and looked over at Daryl's cabin. It was only a few doors down from hers and she waited to see if the door opened. It remained closed and with a disappointed sigh she walked down the steps of the porch and towards the main lodge. Ellie chatted happily as they walked, talking about the paper dolls and the old skip rope Carol had found in the back of the crafts cupboard.

Amelia smiled and nodded, only half-listening to the girl's cheerful chatter. Her mind was still on Daryl and what exactly she was going to say to him. As they reached the main lodge, she glanced up and froze in disbelief. Carol's cabin was closest to the main lodge and she was just leaving her cabin. Daryl followed her out, shrugging into his leather vest. As he closed the door behind him, Carol turned and gave him a hug. He hugged her back, nodding at something she said, before they broke apart and headed for the stairs.

Amelia was dismayed at how close to tears she was. He had spent the night with Carol. She had asked him to come see her and instead, he had gone to Carol. She was such a fool. She had known the moment she saw him with Carol that he cared deeply about her. She had convinced herself it was nothing but now here was that nothing, staring her in the face. She blinked rapidly, swallowing the large lump that had formed in her throat and chewed at her bottom lip nervously.

"Amelia?" Ellie glanced up at her curiously. She followed the direction of Amelia's gaze and waved cheerfully, "Hi Carol! Hi Daryl!" She let go of Amelia's hand and skipped over to Carol, taking her hand in her small one.

Daryl paused on the steps and stared at Amelia. Pale and wide eyed, she was chewing on her bottom lip and as he stared at her, she rubbed her hands nervously on her pants, gave him a small, sick smile and disappeared into the main lodge.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"You know what I miss?" Andy said.

"What's that?" Amelia smiled at the young man.

"Pizza. You know, just like ordering a pizza and – "Andy waved vaguely, "like 30 minutes later a guy in polyester pants shows up on your doorstep."

Amelia laughed. In the 2 weeks she had been here she had grown very fond of Andy. He was young, early twenties maybe, small, blonde and fast on his feet. She had shared 4 watch shifts with him and in that time she had learned just about everything there was to know about him. She knew he had a crush on Beth, Hershel's youngest daughter. That his parents had died in a car crash when he was 6. His aunt and uncle had raised both him and his older sister. His sister had married a man from England and moved overseas not quite 3 years ago. Andy had no idea if she was dead or alive and they had spoken at length of his worry for her.

"What do you miss most Amelia?" Andy bent and began to fill another container of water from the lake.

Amelia thought about it as she screwed the cap on to her full container. "Showers." She said finally. "I would sell my soul for a hot shower."

She looked up at the thick blanket of trees. For a moment she caught a flash of light; the sun reflecting off the binoculars Frank was using to keep an eye on them. She carried her container to where the other three were lined up neatly.

She decided that part of the reason she liked Andy so much was that he kept her mind off Daryl. His non-stop talking was a good distraction from her thoughts about a certain redneck. The last two weeks had been hell. After she had seen him leaving Carol's cabin, Daryl had pretty much completely ignored her. She knew it was for the best. The less she had to do with him, the less often she would think about him or dream about him, but she couldn't shake the hurt and the betrayal she felt. She supposed she deserved it. Judging from the look on Daryl's face when he had caught her in Michael's embrace, he had felt the same way.

She sighed. Things were still awkward with Michael. A few days after kissing her, he had made it perfectly clear to her that he wanted to be more than friends and that he was willing to wait until she was ready. Unfortunately, she didn't think she would ever want to be more than just friends. She had told him that bluntly but he had just smiled and brought her hand to his mouth, kissing it gently. "I'm here when you change your mind Amelia."

She turned around, "Andy, are you ready to –" she paused, staring at the large man who was embracing Andy. For one stupid moment she thought the man was a friend of Andy's until Andy turned his pale, sweating face towards her. "Amelia..." he whispered in a small voice completely unlike his usual speaking one.

She cried out in horror as Andy fell to the ground, a large hunting knife embedded in his chest. She stared at the man who had just killed Andy as he yanked the knife from the young man's body and casually wiped it on Andy's t-shirt. He was dressed from head-to-toe in camouflage and his face was covered in black and green paint.

He glanced up at Amelia and smiled almost tenderly at her. "Why hello pretty lady. What's a nice girl like you doing out here?" His eyes were blank and shiny as new quarters.

Amelia started to back up, her hand dropping to the small knife at her belt. If she could make it to the trees, she might have a chance. She prayed to God that Frank was still watching them.

"Where ya' goin' my pretty one?" The man crooned. "Let's get to know each other better."

Silently Amelia took another step backwards. Adrenaline was coursing through her body, making her heart pound and her limbs shake. She turned and darted for the woods. The man behind her yelled and just as she was about to reach the trees, another man in camouflage stepped out from the woods and caught the end of her braid, yanking her cruelly to the ground.

Gasping, tears of pain in her eyes, Amelia punched and kicked but the man didn't even seem to feel the blows. He dragged her back to the other man standing at the shoreline, dropping her to her feet in front of him. One hand pinned her hands behind her back and the other pulled her knife from her belt and held it loosely.

"Shh, shhh my pretty one." The man in front of her smiled. "We're not going to hurt you; we just want to say hello." He traced one dirty finger down her cheek and throat and then down her chest to the hollow between her breasts.

"Don't be scared." He grinned again, revealing broken and yellow-stained teeth.

"I'm not." Amelia said scornfully.

He pursed his lips thoughtfully at her.

The man behind her bellowed laughter, "We got a tough one here. That's too bad ain't it Freddie? We like 'em scared."

"My friends will be here any minute. And when they get here they'll kill you both. I promise you that." Amelia said quietly.

Something in her voice must have spooked Freddie because he stepped back and scanned the trees for a moment.

"Freddie, ignore the bitch. Let's just take her and get – " the man holding her captive screamed as Amelia suddenly and viciously stomped on the top of his foot. His hands loosened and she tore free from his grip but the man recovered quickly and grabbed her by the shoulder turning her roughly to face him.

"You stupid whore!" he roared, and looking into his eyes Amelia realized with sudden, terrifying clarity that the man was completely insane.

Snarling, he raised her knife and plunged it into her left shoulder. Amelia screamed; the pain was immediate and enormous. She sank to her knees, staring in disbelief at the handle sticking out from her shoulder.

"Aww, Jesus Henry. Why the fuck did you do that?" the man named Freddie shook his head in disgust. "Now she'll bleed to death before we can have any fun at all with –" he screamed, a shockingly girlish sound, as pale hands slid onto his shoulders and Andy bit into the side of his neck. Blood sprayed from his neck as Andy tore a chunk of skin from his neck and chewed at it.

"Rick. Come in Rick." Frank's voice came through the radio.

Rick pulled the radio from his belt as the others in the lodge quieted down.

"What is it Frank?"

"We could have some trouble."

"Walker trouble?" Rick looked at the others. Daryl picked up his crossbow, and T-Dog reached for the bat lying on one of the couches in the lodge as Michael strode to the corner and picked up the axe resting against it.

"No. Looks like a man. He's approaching Andy and Amelia at the lake. They don't see him yet." There was a pause and then "Oh holy Jesus, he's just stabbed Andy! Oh my God, Rick! Rick! There's another one; he's got Amelia."

Rick turned to Daryl but he had already bolted out the front door of the lodge; Michael followed closely.

"Daryl, Michael wait! God dammit!" Rick ran after them.

"Andy?" Amelia moaned. She raised one shaking hand to the handle of the knife but just grazing it with her fingers sent a nauseating bolt of pain through her entire body.

"Help me!" Freddie squealed and twisted but Andy had latched firmly on to his neck and was pulling and chewing at the exposed flesh.

Henry stared in shock as Freddie flailed his hands at him. "Henry, please!" he cried out. Blood was soaking into his shirt, turning the dark green of the camouflage to black.

Henry staggered forward and pulled at Andy's body. He ripped him away from the bleeding, swaying Freddie and tried to push Andy to the ground. With a low growl Andy grabbed the man's arms and bit into his wrist. The man tore free and stared at his bleeding wrist.

"No." He whispered. "No." Blood poured from his wrist in a steady stream. Andy leaped on him, knocking him to the ground, and tore a flap of the man's cheek off. He began to chew at his face and throat. Henry howled in pain and tried to beat Andy away as Freddie fell forward on to his face in front of Amelia.

Moaning and shaking, Amelia fought desperately to remain conscious as Henry's dying screams filled her ears. She shimmied backwards on her butt; every movement brought agony to her shoulder. Gritting her teeth, she kept sliding backwards until she felt a fallen log behind her back. She rested against it, gasping for breath, and trying to ignore the squelching sounds of Andy snacking on Henry's face.

Her heart stuttered to a stop as Freddie stirred on the ground. "Oh Jesus, please no." She whispered. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as the dead Freddie rose to his knees. He peered around him and when his gaze fell on Amelia he moaned hungrily and began to crawl towards her.

Amelia pedaled frantically with her feet; she had to get up. She had to move; had to run. Crying, her heart thudding painfully in her chest, Amelia tried to rise. She made it to her knees but a wave of gray washed over her. She breathed deeply; she was dead if she fainted. Despair flooded her body at the realization that she didn't have the strength to get to her feet. She shuddered and stared with wide eyes as Freddie, blood still dripping from the wound in his neck, crawled closer.


	22. Chapter 22

**You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Since it's always fun to leave it on a cliffhanger for the weekend, I didn't intend to post this chapter until Monday but your enthusiasm for Daryl and Amelia's story has made me so happy I can't resist posting again! Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 22<p>

Daryl raced through the woods towards the lake. He realized he was holding his breath and forced himself to breathe. He was panicked, running almost blindly through the trees, but he pushed himself to run faster. Behind him he could hear the heavy, thudding footsteps of Michael and, further back, the lighter footsteps of the others.

He could feel his pulse pounding in his ears, hear his own harsh panting as he leaped over a fallen tree and dodged around a bush. Thorns scraped at his arms but he ignored the fleeting pain. A vision of Amelia's pale, sweet face filled his brain and spurred him forward.

As he drew closer to the lake Amelia screamed, a sound filled with panic and pain, and his blood ran cold. Behind him he heard Michael trip, cursing loudly as he fell. Amelia's scream had sent fresh adrenaline into his blood and he ran faster, his breath tearing in and out of his lungs.

After what felt like an eternity, the trees started to thin; he could see flashes of the lake. He skidded to a stop at the tree line. Andy, or what used to be Andy, was tearing and chewing large chunks of flesh from the face and throat of a man. Daryl searched the shoreline frantically. His eyes fell on Amelia. She was on her knees, swaying in front of a large fallen log, a knife jutting from one slender shoulder. There was a Walker crawling towards her. As the Walker rose to his knees, Daryl yanked his crossbow from his shoulder. He took a deep, calming breath and focused, aiming the crossbow at the Walker's head. As he released the arrow, Michael ran by him, screaming Amelia's name and jostling Daryl's arm. He yelled in frustration as the arrow, intended for the Walker's head, lodged into its neck instead.

As Michael ran towards Amelia, Daryl loaded another arrow frantically. He knew it was too late. Michael wasn't going to make it to her in time. Daryl had one shot and he had missed. Amelia, his lovely, fragile Amelia, was completely defenceless and the Walker was about to tear her throat out.

With a thin inhuman cry, Amelia reached up and in one swift movement, yanked the knife from her shoulder. She screamed again, a low and guttural shriek of agony mixed with rage and fear, and drove the bloody knife into the face of the Walker as it reached for her.

Daryl raced forward as the Walker slumped against her legs and waist and she collapsed under its weight. Michael reached her first. With a loud grunt of effort he pulled the Walker off of Amelia. It was still alive, the knife hadn't been long enough to pierce right through his brain, but it had slowed him down, and he was half-heartedly trying to chew through her t-shirt.

Daryl dropped to his knees in front of Amelia as Michael drove his axe through the Walker's skull. He was vaguely aware of Rick and T-Dog clearing the trees. T-Dog immediately went to Andy who snarled at him and bit at his shoes. Wincing, T-Dog raised the bat and caved in Andy's skull before doing the same to the man Andy had been eating.

"Amelia." Daryl whispered. Blood was pouring from the wound in her shoulder and her face was growing paler by the second.

"Is she alive?" Michael stumbled towards them. He knelt beside her, sweat dripping from his face. "We have to help her." He whispered.

Amelia smiled weakly at Daryl as he took her cold hand in his and gently brushed the hair from her face.

"I'm okay." She whispered.

He shook his head, as Michael took her other hand. "Stop yer talking. Save your strength."

"Don't tell me what to do." She whispered again.

"Jesus woman, listen to me for once." He pleaded as Rick knelt beside him.

Rick had taken off his t-shirt and now he pressed it firmly against Amelia's shoulder. She let out a breathless scream of pain.

"Daryl, we need to control the bleeding and get her back to Hershel." Rick motioned for him to move out of the way. He leaned over Amelia, his kind face staring into hers.

"Amelia, we're going to move you. It's going to hurt. Try to stay conscious okay?"

She nodded and his face was replaced by Daryl's. He stared at her, worry and fear shone clearly in his blue eyes. She tried to squeeze Daryl's hand reassuringly but she had no strength in her hand at all.

"Daryl, keep applying firm pressure on the wound. T-Dog, your belt." T-Dog handed Rick his belt and he carefully slid it under her shoulder. He pulled it through the buckle until it was tight across her shoulder, Amelia groaned again as the strap tightened around her shoulder.

"Daryl, hold the belt – don't let it loosen. Michael and I are going to lift her. Michael, let's try to keep her as still as we can." Rick directed.

He grabbed the radio from his belt, "Frank. Come in Frank."

Frank responded, his voice barely heard over the static, "I hear you Rick."

"Tell Hershel that Amelia has been hurt badly. She's been stabbed in the shoulder and we're bringing her back now. " Rick yelled into the radio.

"Got it." Frank answered.

Rick leaned back over Amelia. Despite the chill in the air, large drops of sweat shone on his forehead. "Amelia? Look at me Amelia!"

She tried to focus on him. His voice was coming from a great distance and she was suddenly deeply tired.

"Amelia." He slapped her briskly on the face, ignoring Daryl's warning growl.

"Amelia! I need you to wake up. What blood type are you? Tell me... quickly."

Amelia blinked and tried again to focus; waves of darkness were rolling towards her.

"Amelia!" Rick's voice was sharp and insistent. "Answer me! What's your blood type?"

"B-positive." She mumbled.

"Good girl." Rick nodded towards the others. "Let's go - gently now."

Although they lifted her as gently as they could a bolt of agonizing pain ripped through her shoulder and arm and Amelia shrieked. The darkness was rushing towards her now and she dove into it with a feeling of relief, Daryl's pleas for her to stay with him following her into the darkness.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Rick and Michael placed Amelia on the bed in her cabin trying not to jostle her.

"Daryl, let me examine her." Hershel said.

Daryl, still holding the belt tightly across Amelia's shoulder, stared at him uncomprehendingly.

Rick grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away. "Let Hershel look at her."

Rick and Michael stood at the end of the bed as Hershel and Melissa examined Amelia. Daryl paced back and forth across the small cabin. He glanced down at his hands; they were streaked with Amelia's blood.

After a few moments Hershel stepped away, wiping his hands on a towel as Melissa pressed a fresh towel to the wound on Amelia's shoulder.

The others had crowded into the small cabin and Ellie ran to Michael. "Is Amelia going to die?" she sobbed.

Michael shook his head. "No baby. She's not going to die." He glanced at Hershel, "Right?"

Hershel ignored him, "She's lost a lot of blood. Do you know her blood type?"

Rick nodded, "B-positive."

Hershel looked around the room, "Is anyone here B-positive?"

Carol spoke up, "I am."

"Good. We'll need you later."

Hershel took a deep breath. "Maggie, Beth, grab everything from the first aid kit in the main lodge."

The girls nodded and left as Michael said incredulously "First aid kit? A first aid kit? A bunch of gauze and some tape isn't going to fix this, old man."

"Actually, the first aid kit is remarkably well stocked. I imagine because this lodge is so isolated." Hershel responded mildly.

He turned his attention to Rick, "Did you pull the knife out?"

Rick shook his head.

Daryl spoke for the first time, "She pulled it out herself. There was a Walker about to tear her throat out and it was the only weapon she had."

Melissa made a small hurt sound in the back of her throat.

Hershel frowned, "The knife went in cleanly enough but she did a fair amount of damage when she pulled it out. It's going to be more difficult to fix. But the real issue is – "

"If you could shoot a goddamn arrow straight she wouldn't have had to rip a knife out of her own shoulder." Michael snarled bitterly at Daryl.

"Fuck you! It's your fault I missed!" Daryl shouted and lunged for the large man.

T-Dog stepped in front of Daryl and shoved him back, "Enough man. This isn't the time or the place."

Michael tore free of Rick. "He wants to have a go at me, let him."

"Stop it." Amelia whispered weakly.

Daryl immediately forgot about Michael and the others. He knelt by the bed and took one cold hand in his own.

"Stop fighting." she whispered again, looking at Daryl and at Michael standing at the foot of the bed.

Melissa ran her cool hand over her forehead, "Hush Amelia."

Ellie peered around Michael's hip. Her blue eyes were swimming with tears. "Amelia?"

"Okay baby girl." Amelia tried to smile at the girl.

Hershel knelt over her, "Amelia, do you know what happened?"

Amelia nodded weakly, "Stabbed – hurts."

As Maggie and Beth entered the cabin, Hershel nodded sympathetically. "I know it hurts. The good news is we're going to fix your shoulder. We'll have you as good as new in no time." He smiled kindly at her.

"Bad news?" Amelia whispered.

Hershel stared gravely at her, "You've lost a lot of blood and you'll lose more during the surgery. There's a good chance of infection setting in and-" he swallowed, "while I can work with the tools that are here to clean and close the wound to your shoulder, there's no anesthetic Amelia - nothing to dull the pain."

Daryl stared at him; his normally tanned face had paled considerably. "You can't do that to her."

"I'm afraid I don't have much choice. She'll bleed to death if we don't sew the wound up. And it's not just the skin. There are some badly damaged nerves and torn tendons and muscles and if I don't at least try to fix them, her arm will be useless to her." Hershel squeezed Amelia's hand comfortingly, and then straightened up.

"Maggie, find me as many clean towels as you can. Beth, start boiling some water."

As Melissa continued to apply pressure to Amelia's shoulder, Daryl leaned over her, placing one warm hand on her forehead.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"Not your fault." Amelia whispered back.

He stared miserably at her and she tried to smile, "Stay?"

He nodded, "I ain't goin' no where."

Rick pulled Hershel aside, "Have you ever done anything like this before on an animal?"

Hershel grimaced, "Not to this degree." He swallowed, "There was a dog once that had his front shoulder and leg mauled by a coyote; there was nerve and tendon damage that I fixed."

"Amelia's not a dog!" Michael had joined the conversation and he stared furiously at the old man.

"I realize that." Hershel kept his cool, "But in the words of your young friend Amelia -a mammal's a mammal."

He walked to the small kitchen to scrub his hands as Michael stared after him helplessly.

"Okay Amelia. Ready?" Hershel smiled at her and placed a steady hand on her brow.

Amelia stared at him. Her shoulder throbbed and burned with pain, making her body shake and her stomach roll with nausea. She could only imagine what it would feel like when Hershel actually touched it. She could feel sweat breaking out on her forehead and she was having a hard time controlling her breathing. It rushed in and out of her like a freight train; there was a weird buzzing in her ears and her heart was pounding madly in her chest.

"She's hyperventilating." She heard Hershel say and then he was placing his hand on her forehead again, "Amelia, you need to calm down, slow your breathing."

She tried, she really did but it was as though her body had a mind of its own. Her eyes rolled in their sockets, wide with pain and fear. All she could think about was how painful it would be and although she wanted to be brave, knew she needed to be brave - oh it was going to hurt and she had never been more afraid. It was going to hurt so much and she didn't think she could stop herself from screaming and it was important to be quiet, very quiet and –

Hershel disappeared from her view and Daryl's face appeared. He pressed his forehead against hers; she could feel his hand stroking her uninjured arm.

"Shhh." He said softly, "Breathe like I am." He took a deep breath in through his nose and exhaled gently through his mouth. His familiar scent filled her nostrils, his warm breath washed over her, his hand stroked her arm and she could feel some of the panic subsiding. She did her best to mimic his breaths, long flat inhales through her nose followed by soft, steady exhales through her mouth. After a few moments she realized she was calmer. Her heartbeat had almost returned to normal and her breathing was slow and steady.

"Ready." She whispered.

Daryl rested his forehead against for hers for a moment longer before sitting back up. She reached for his hand and held it tightly before looking around the room. Most of the others had left the cabin but Hershel had asked Michael, T-Dog and Glen to stay. At first she had been confused by their presence but that had cleared up quickly when Michael and T-Dog had sat on either side of the bed and placed their large hands on her legs.

"We need you to stay as steady as possible Amelia," Hershel had said, "These boys are just here to help you with that."

Now she peered up at Glen who was tucked against the wall by the head of the bed, a large flashlight in his hand. He was shining it directly onto her shoulder and he gave her the barest of grins, his face pale and sick looking.

Melissa brushed Amelia's hair back from her face with a cool and steady hand and then stared at the men in the room. "Close your eyes boys." She said firmly. With the exception of Hershel, they all obediently closed their eyes. Melissa cut away Amelia's shirt and bra before wrapping a sheet around her upper torso leaving her arms and shoulders bare. She gently placed a sheet over her shoulder. A hole had been cut out of the sheet and she placed this opening over the wound in Amelia's shoulder. She smiled reassuringly at Amelia before stepping back and letting Hershel take her place.

There was a knock at the door and Rick stepped into the room. He walked directly towards Amelia and knelt between Daryl and T-Dog.

"Amelia." He gave her a small smile. "I'm sorry but I need to remind you again to be as quiet as possible."

"Are you fucking crazy?" Daryl snarled at him, "How is she supposed to be quiet?"

Ignoring him, Rick leaned in closer. "I have something for you. It might help." He showed her the small piece of wood in his hand - a tree branch that he had shortened and whittled smooth.

"Christ. " Daryl swore but she shushed him with a squeeze of her hand. It was a small act of kindness by Rick, more for the benefit of the whole group than hers, but she was still oddly touched by it.

He placed the pale, smooth branch in her mouth and she gripped it firmly between her teeth. Still holding Daryl's hand she nodded at Hershel.

He smiled calmly at her and as he reached for her shoulder Daryl spoke, "Look at me Amelia." She turned her face obediently towards his. Her eyes were huge and dark with fear and he allowed no trace of his own fear to show in his face.

Daryl watched Amelia's face as Hershel reached delicately into the wound in her shoulder. She made a low moan of pain and bit grimly down onto the wood; tears were streaming down her face and Melissa wiped them away with a cloth, murmuring words of encouragement.

The flashlight wavered and Hershel looked sharply at Glen, "Steady Glen. Steady."

Amelia was squeezing Daryl's hand so tightly that his fingers had gone numb but he didn't pull free. Her face was growing whiter by the second and he glanced briefly at Hershel. His hands were red with Amelia's blood and an alarming amount was soaking the towels placed around her. He tore his eyes away from her shoulder and focused his attention on her face. She was staring at him, through him, trying to absorb the pain and he leaned closer to her, "Yer doing great. Hang in there."

If she heard him she didn't acknowledge it. She was panting loudly and as her body began to shake he placed one hand on her good shoulder and leaned against her upper body trying to hold her steady. He whispered soothingly to her – just random words of comfort that he tried to make sound convincing. There was no colour left in her face at all now and he could see the bite marks her teeth were leaving in the wood. She was trying valiantly not to scream but a high-pitched keening noise was starting in her throat.

Amelia tried desperately to stay still as Hershel dug into her shoulder. The pain was monstrous and unending. Dimly she was aware of Daryl above her, whispering words of encouragement, and she tried to focus on his voice and not the excruciating pain radiating from her shoulder into the rest of her body. It was useless; the pain grew within her until her entire world was filled with the deep gut-wrenching agony.

Against her will she could feel her body beginning to shake and strain against the men holding her down. Her back arched against the bed in a vain attempt to escape the pain. Faintly, through the red haze of pain that had swallowed her, she heard Hershel roaring to hold her steady and felt the increased pressure as all three men threw their bodies across hers. A scream was building in her throat; she could feel it and she bit down desperately into the wood, trying to hold it back. It was pointless. She was going to scream, _had_ to scream, there was nothing to do _but_ scream, and then suddenly the darkness was there, closing in around her. She felt a dim thread of gratitude as the wood snapped between her teeth, and the darkness consumed her.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

She had no idea how long she floated, blind and deaf in the darkness, plagued by neither pain nor bad dreams. When the darkness finally began to subside, she became aware of the pain still holding her in its grip. Her shoulder throbbed and ached with an intensity that made her sick. She began to cry weakly and he was there. His raspy voice whispering words of comfort into her ear and the familiar feel of his body against hers soothed her. Cautiously she tried to move and a hideous bolt of pain down through her left side brought the darkness sweeping back in. She floated again. After a while - a long while - she became aware of voices in the darkness.

"She should be waking up by now." It was Daryl's voice, sounding worried and fearful.

"Give her time. She's been through a traumatic experience." Hershel's voice now, accompanied by his hand on her brow "There's still no fever, that's a good sign."

"Then why ain't she waking up?"

"Her body is trying to heal itself Daryl. She needs rest and it's doing exactly what it should be doing. She'll wake when she's ready. She's young and strong and so far, there seems to be no infection. That in itself is a miracle." Hershel said soothingly.

"Maybe she needs more blood." Daryl spoke gruffly. "I can ask Carol, she'll – "

Hershel interrupted him, "She doesn't need another blood transfusion right now. It's only been a day and a half, give it some time. If she's not awake by tomorrow morning then we'll start to worry."

Daryl ran a hand through his hair, his other still held Amelia's loosely. He looked tired and although Hershel had shooed everyone else from the room after the surgery he was unable to convince Daryl to leave her side for more than a few minutes at a time. He, Melissa, and Maggie had stayed in the cabin, taking turns through the night watching her, but even then Daryl had refused to leave the cabin, alternating between lying on the bed beside her and pacing restlessly through the small space.

Hershel hesitated for a moment and then leaned over Amelia. He spoke quietly but clearly into her ear, "Amelia, if you can hear me, squeeze Daryl's hand."

Daryl stared at her hand expectantly; his face was a mixture of misery and hope. When there was nothing, he ran his hand through his hair again and sighed with frustration.

Hershel tried again, "Amelia. I want you to squeeze Daryl's hand." His voice took on an almost stern quality, "C'mon young lady. Squeeze his hand."

Daryl's face lit up like a boy's when he felt the first faint pressure against his fingers. "She did it!" He stood and leaned over Amelia. "Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand again honey."

Hershel raised an eyebrow at the endearment but said nothing as Daryl brushed his lips across her forehead and then pressed his mouth to her ear. "Please Amelia, just once more – for me."

He grinned, delighted, when he was rewarded with an even stronger squeeze.

It was mid-morning the next day before Amelia opened her eyes. She blinked, trying to adjust to the light streaming through the open curtains of the small cabin. She moved her head cautiously. Her shoulder was aching and throbbing but moving her head didn't increase the pain and she was grateful for that. She became aware of how thirsty she was - her tongue did nothing to wet her dry lips.

Lori appeared beside the bed, "Hi." She smiled at Amelia.

Amelia smiled back but couldn't muster enough saliva to talk. She swallowed, her throat clicking painfully.

"You must be thirsty. Hold on." Lori turned from the bed, "Carl – run and find Hershel. Tell him Amelia is awake." The young boy hopped off the couch and slipped out the door as Lori crossed to the kitchen. She returned with a glass of water and held it to Amelia's lips.

"Careful. Small sips okay? You do not want to throw up with your shoulder the way it is."

Amelia took small sips, even boiled the water tasted heavenly to her, rehydrating her mouth and soothing her throat. Lori held the glass for her until she had drank nearly half of it and then gently pulled it away. "That's enough for now."

Exhausted by even that small action, Amelia rested against the pillows. She was propped up in the bed by numerous blankets and pillows. Either Hershel or Melissa had created a makeshift sling from a ripped up sheet that pinned her arm firmly against her body and a large bulky bandage covered her entire left shoulder.

Lori rested her hand against Amelia's forehead. "Still no fever."

Amelia stared at her, "Daryl?" she whispered, her voice hoarse from disuse.

Lori smiled and stood up from her spot beside Amelia on the bed. "He's right here." She moved and Amelia could see Daryl asleep in a chair in the small living room. His chin rested on his chest and his arms were folded over his torso. As she watched he made a soft snoring sound and shifted in the chair.

"I think that's the first time he's slept since it happened." Lori said softly. "We haven't been able to get him to leave."

Carl entered the cabin followed closely by Hershel. He smiled as he leaned over her; like Lori he checked quickly for a fever, a pleased look crossing his face at the touch of her cool brow.

"How do you feel?" he asked

Amelia cleared her throat, "Thirsty." She rasped.

He allowed her to drink the rest of the glass of water, rationing it to her in small, careful sips. Already Amelia was tiring, she could feel the darkness starting to creep up on her again and she wished selfishly that Daryl was awake. She wanted to see him, to feel his touch and hear his voice before she fell asleep again. Just the slight movements from drinking the water had awakened the pain in her shoulder and she winced as she settled back against the pillows.

Hershel had Lori fill the glass halfway with water. He shook some pills out into his hand and held them to her mouth. "It's only Advil but it's something to help with the pain."

She lifted her head with difficulty; the pain in her shoulder was wide awake now piercing her with its sharp, brutal claws, and swallowed the offered pills.

There was a scraping noise behind Hershel and he stepped out of the way as Daryl stumbled into view.

"Amelia?" His hair was sticking straight up and there was sleep in his eyes but he looked beautiful to her. He knelt on the floor beside the bed and took her hand in his.

"Hi." He whispered. Up close she could see the worry and strain on his face. She wished she could say something to comfort him but the darkness was very close now and she only had time to squeeze his hand before she slipped back into its comforting embrace.

Later that afternoon, Amelia woke again. She had a headache and despite the water she had drank earlier, her throat still felt dry and tight and her tongue swollen and fuzzy. She glanced around her. Daryl had dragged the chair to the side of the bed, one hand still held hers, as he dozed. Someone had obviously convinced him to leave because his hair was now damp and he was wearing a different set of clothes from this morning.

Before she could squeeze his hand to wake him up, Melissa appeared by the side of the bed.

"Hi honey." She smiled and placed a gentle hand on Amelia's torso. "Thirsty?"

Amelia nodded. As Melissa got her some water, she stared at Daryl. His face was younger in his sleep, the lines of worry and anger smoothed out, and if he didn't look happy he at least looked content. As she stared at him he woke with a start, staring around blankly before his gaze fell on her.

He smiled, "Hey."

She smiled back as Melissa returned with the water and held it for her to drink. Once again, she allowed her to drink half a glass before handing it to Daryl. "I'm going to get Hershel. Be right back." She kissed Amelia's forehead and left the cabin.

Amelia stared at Daryl, "Hello." She said.

He smiled again at the sound of her voice, "How ya feelin'"?

She released his hand and moved her good hand back and forth in a cautious "comme ci, comme ca" gesture.

He cleared his throat nervously and placed a hand against her forehead. "Ya feel cool. That's a –"

"- good sign." She finished for him.

He frowned a little, "Any kind of infection is bad Amelia, real bad. We ain't got nothin' to treat infections here. I used to have some of Merle's pills but they got left behind when..." he trailed off. "Hershel says it's a miracle you ain't got one."

She shifted, crying out a little as pain shot down her arm. He set the glass down and was sitting on the side of the bed in an instant, one hand still holding hers, the other cupping her face. "What can I do?" he asked.

After weeks of having him barely even look in her direction, weeks of trying to forget the sound of his voice moaning her name, and the way it felt when he touched her, suddenly, more than anything, she wanted to feel his mouth on hers. Before she could chicken out or change her mind, she whispered, "Kiss me."

Without hesitating he leaned forward and placed a soft and familiar kiss on her mouth, his thumb stroking her jaw.

"Thank you." She breathed.

He nodded solemnly as the door opened and Hershel entered followed by Melissa.

He placed a hand on her forehead, Amelia couldn't help but smile when he did, and then sat down beside her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Good. My head hurts." She replied hoarsely.

"You're dehydrated, it's part of the reason why you feel so weak and why your head hurts." He held her wrist, his strong fingers finding her pulse and counted off a minute.

He smiled at her, "Your pulse is good and strong. How does your shoulder feel?"

She grimaced, "It hurts."

He nodded, "I'm going to give you some more Advil; it will help take the edge off but that's it I'm afraid. You're in for some rough days ahead. You'll need to drink some more and how do you feel about eating something? We've got some broth for you." He paused, "Just don't ask what kind of meat the broth is made with."

The look on his face made Amelia grin a little, "Plenty of protein in squirrel."

Melissa patted her leg, "I'm going to go and get some of that broth. Be right back."

Hershel stood, "Let's get some more water into you; it'll help with your headache." Amelia captured his hand in hers before he could leave. She tugged lightly until he bent over her and she could place a soft kiss on his worn cheek.

"Thank you." She whispered quietly and sincerely. "You saved my life and I will never forget that." She kissed his cheek again.

Hershel patted her hand, "You're welcome Amelia." He headed to the kitchen blinking away the sudden moisture in his eyes.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

At Hershel's urging she drank more water and took the Advil. The combination soon helped her headache and she was glad, but the thought of having her shoulder touched for the bandage change was making her feel sick to her stomach.

Before removing the bandage, Hershel took off the sling and examined her arm and hand. Both her hand and arm were swollen and bruised. "Don't worry. That's normal." Hershel said reassuringly. He gently squeezed her swollen hand. "Can you feel that?"

At her nod, he smiled again, "That's good news. Do you think you can wiggle your fingers for me?"

Amelia stared at her hand and willed it to move. After nearly thirty seconds of concentration her first finger and thumb twitched. It was quickly followed by all of her fingers wiggling. "Good." Hershel said, pleased. "Does it hurt to wiggle your fingers?"

She shook her head no.

Hershel nodded then gave her hand another reassuring pat. "We're going to change your bandage now. It's going to hurt but we'll try to be quick okay?"

"I need to use the washroom first." Amelia muttered.

"Oh - of course." Hershel replied. He glanced down at her and then at Daryl, "Do you want Daryl to leave the room while we get you out of bed?"

She shook her head as Daryl said forcefully, "I ain't leavin'."

Moving slowly and carefully Hershel and Daryl sat Amelia up and helped her swing her legs over. She sat for a few minutes, cradling her arm against her body and feeling light headed. At some point while she was unconscious Melissa had removed her jeans and underwear and given her a sponge bath, washing away the blood and the dirt from her body before placing the boxer shorts she had brought from their first cabin on her. Her upper half was bare but she was in too much pain to be embarrassed by her semi-nakedness in front of either Daryl or Hershel.

"Can you stand?" Hershel asked.

Her shoulder was really throbbing now but she gritted her teeth against it and nodded. With Daryl and Hershel's help she stood, wobbling a bit but not feeling as lightheaded as she had. However, when she took a step, the pain flared in her shoulder and she whimpered helplessly. Without speaking, Daryl picked her up. He carried her into the bathroom, Melissa following, and stood her in front of the toilet. Melissa stepped in to steady her and he left the small room. She was quick and Daryl carried her back to the bed without even giving her the option of trying to walk, but by the time Melissa and Hershel began to remove the bandage, she was sweating and moaning softly.

Daryl took her small hand in his large one and held it loosely. "Look at me Amelia." He commanded and she stared into his blue eyes, trying not to cry. Once again he helped her control her breathing, encouraging her to breathe deeply when she wanted to pant, and encouraging her to squeeze his hand each time there was a particularly bad spasm of pain.

After placing a fresh bandage on her shoulder, neither Melissa nor Daryl would let her look at her shoulder once the old bandage was off, Hershel tucked her arm back into the sling and then he and Daryl eased her back on to the bed. At her request they removed some of the pillows so she was reclining more. Melissa pulled the sheet up and tucked it carefully around her sling and under her armpits but Amelia balked at the blanket. Daryl frowned and felt her forehead.

"She's warm." He looked at Hershel.

"Of course I'm warm." Amelia said grumpily. The pain was coursing through her entire body now and she wanted to close her eyes and sleep. "I've been moving around and you've got enough wood in the cook stove to heat two cabins."

"Let's have a few bites of broth now Amelia. Just a couple spoonful's okay?" Melissa brought the bowl over from the cook stove but Amelia turned her head away.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, "I can't."

"She's too warm." Daryl repeated himself, his hand smoothing across her forehead.

"She's fine. It's not a fever." Hershel felt her forehead himself but Amelia barely heard him. The pain and effort to move had caught up with her and she slipped smoothly into slumber.

Amelia stared blankly at the ceiling of the cabin. It was just visible in the flickering of the candle sitting on the nightstand by her bed. She had woken after only a few hours and at Melissa's urging she had eaten some of the broth. At the smell of it heating on the cook stove she had felt a faint thread of hunger for the first time since the lake and she hadn't even minded that Melissa insisted on feeding her. She had eaten nearly an entire bowl of the warm, rich broth.

It was early evening but dark was already falling and Hershel and Melissa had left for their cabins, leaving her alone with Daryl. She had tried to convince him to go to his own cabin and get a decent night's sleep but he had refused. Secretly she was glad. Melissa had offered to stay as well but Amelia could see just how tired both the young redhead and Hershel were and had forced them to leave. Anything she needed, Daryl could help her with.

She shifted and winced. She should be sleeping, she was exhausted both physically and mentally, but images kept flashing through her mind. Freddie leering at her; Andy's face after he had been stabbed; the handle of the knife sticking out from her shoulder; they flickered through her mind uncontrolled and she wished desperately that she could turn them off. She shuddered and the pain in her shoulder intensified, forcing a low groan from her throat.

Daryl was there instantly, "Amelia what's wrong? Should I get Hershel?"

She shook her head, "No, it just hurts."

"Hold on. Hershel said you could have more Advil if you needed it." He went to the kitchen, moving as confidently as a cat in the darkness, and she could hear pouring water and the rattling of pills. He returned and handed her the pills, holding the glass of water so she could drink from it.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded but as he turned to go back to the bed he had made on the love seat she caught his hand. "Please, stay in the bed with me." She murmured.

He hesitated, "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't. Please, I don't want to be alone." She pleaded.

He searched her face for a moment before standing and stripping off his shirt. Wearing only a pair of boxers, he blew the candle out and moved around to her uninjured side. He slipped into the bed beside her and she turned her face so he wouldn't see her grimace of pain as the bed jostled her.

Without speaking he eased his body closer to hers, wrapping his arm around her waist and resting his head on the pillow beside hers. She gripped his forearm with her good hand and carefully turned her head so she could tuck her face against his throat. She breathed in his familiar scent as he ran his hand up and down her bare side. She could feel the roughness of his fingers, the calluses that covered them but his touch was gentle against her flesh. She lay quietly for a few moments, marveling that such a rough, hard man could even have this type of gentleness in him.

There was something she had wanted to ask since she had woken but she had put it off, some part of her afraid of what the answer would be. Now, lying in the darkness, feeling the warmth of Daryl's body against hers, she swallowed and forced herself to ask.

"Andy..." she said but Daryl interrupted her almost immediately.

"He's dead." He squeezed her waist.

"I know. I remember." She remembered everything with horrifying accuracy. From the look on Andy's face when he had been stabbed, the sound of his voice calling her name, to the certainty that she was going to die as a dead Freddie reached for her – she had an idea that those moments were forever burned into her brain.

"Daryl, he – " she paused, trying to decide how to word it without making herself sound completely crazy, "Andy wasn't bitten but he turned anyway."

He stiffened against her and when he didn't say anything she hurried on, "I know that sounds crazy but please, you have to believe me. Neither of those two horrible men were Walkers when they first caught us and they didn't bite him anyway, they stabbed him."

When he still didn't say anything, she whispered, "Please - say something Daryl."

He let his breath out in a harsh rush. "I believe ya." His hand resumed its gentle stroking, "Did anyone from the group tell ya that we were at the CDC?"

She started to shake her head, winced at the pain it caused in her shoulder, and said, "No, when was that?"

"It was a while ago and it's a long story. I'll tell ya the whole thing someday but what's most important right now is what I'm about to say."

She nodded, "Alright."

"The CDC guy, I can't remember his name, Jenner somethin' maybe. Anyway, he was a scientist guy and they had done a bunch of tests and shit on people and Walkers you know? Tryin' to find a cure I guess."

She nodded again, her face still tucked against his throat.

"He told Rick, well he told him that –" he swallowed convulsively, she could feel the motion against her mouth, "we all carry the virus in us." He finished in a hoarse whisper.

She didn't respond but he could feel dampness on his throat. He cupped the back of her head and kissed her forehead, "Don't honey." He whispered, "Don't cry."

"That's why Andy turned when he died." She said in a voice choked with tears. She stiffened as something else dawned on her, "And why you asked me if Tony had any bites on him." A tone of accusation entered her voice, "You should have told me then."

"Yeah, I should have." He replied. The genuine regret in his voice immediately dampened her anger.

"This is so fucked up." She muttered bitterly.

"Yeah." He shifted against her, moving his hand back down to her side and settling it on her hip. They were quiet for a while and Daryl believed Amelia was asleep until she suddenly spoke, her words muffled against his throat.

"Promise me something."

"What's that?" he responded

"If I die, you put one of your arrows through my head." Her voice was so low he had to strain to hear it.

"You ain't gonna die." His hand squeezed her hip so tightly, she gasped a little.

"I might." She said bluntly. "There's still a chance that I'll get an infection. If I do, I'm dead."

When he didn't respond, she lifted her head, ignoring the pain in her shoulder, and stared at his face just barely visible in the dark. "Promise me Daryl. I can't, I _won't_ end up as one of those things. "

"I promise." He answered.

"Thank you." She kissed him softly, lightly on his jaw before relaxing against him. She was suddenly exhausted and with Daryl in the bed beside her, she might actually get some rest. She closed her eyes and drifted.


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you again for your comments and reviews! It's always such a joy for me to read them. I love how passionate you are about Daryl and Amelia! I just wanted to say that I share your frustrations with Daryl and Amelia's miscommunications and misunderstandings. Don't you just want to reach in there, shake them both, and force them to just confess their feelings for each other already? I hope so because it means I am accomplishing what I had hoped to do. I want to make you fall in love with Daryl and Amelia as a couple, to root for them, to embrace their flaws, and to feel their frustrations and heartaches like they were your own. **

**Thank you for being so invested in my story. Have faith that Daryl and Amelia will find their way to each other, because trust me, beneath this wreck of a feminist beats the heart of a true romantic. One who believes that, despite the obstacles, love will always find a way.**

Chapter 26

Amelia moaned and shook from the pain. She watched with wide eyes as Freddie crawled closer. She was dreaming, knew she must be dreaming, but she couldn't stop the terror from rising inside her. She glanced at the handle of the knife in her shoulder and shuddered. As Freddie reached for her, she willed herself to grab the handle, to do what had to be done, but she couldn't do it. She knew the pain it would cause, how it would feel like her shoulder had been doused in gasoline and set on fire, and her dream self refused to obey the command that would save her life.

She whimpered helplessly as Freddie's hands gripped her arms and she stared into his empty eyes as his lips curled back from his teeth. He nuzzled into her neck and she turned her gaze to the sky above her. His teeth bit into her throat and there was a sudden rushing sensation of warmth as her blood flowed down her neck. He bit deeper; she could feel him chewing and tearing at the flesh and she screamed, and screamed again as he burrowed deeper and deeper and –

"Amelia, wake up!" a soft voice, a warm hand at her waist pulled her from the nightmare. She woke with a gasp, body shuddering, and started to cry softly. Her shoulder throbbed and burned and every small movement sent pain shooting down her arm.

"Shh, you're okay. Shhh." Amelia stared blankly at the woman sitting on the bed beside her. One cool hand stroked her forehead, the other rested on her stomach, urging her to stay still.

"Take deep breaths, it was only a dream. Hush now." The woman continued. She reached for a cloth in a basin beside the bed and wiped away the tears and sweat from Amelia's face. "Just a dream – you're safe."

She made soft soothing sounds as she continued her ministrations, wiping Amelia's face a second time before carefully swabbing at her throat and uninjured shoulder.

"That must have been some nightmare; you're completely soaked in sweat." She smiled kindly at Amelia and continued with the sponge bath. Amelia watched her wordlessly. She didn't object when the woman turned down the top sheet and washed her upper body.

The woman hummed softly under her breath and by the time she helped Amelia sit up so that she could wash her back, the combination of her comforting nature and gentle hands had calmed Amelia's shaking. She closed her eyes as the woman carefully brushed the tangles from Amelia's long thick hair.

"Tomorrow we'll get you into the tub for a proper bath and I'll wash your hair for you. Okay?" the woman said.

Amelia nodded and licked her dry lips. The woman immediately handed her the glass of water on the nightstand beside the bed. "Drink slowly." She admonished.

Amelia took a couple careful sips as the woman finished brushing her hair. She started to stand and Amelia dropped the empty glass on the bed and caught her hand.

"Thank you Carol." She whispered hoarsely.

Carol smiled and nodded to her. "You're welcome."

"Not just for this." Amelia continued. Already her shoulder was beginning to throb, although she didn't feel quite as tired as she had before, and she wanted to make sure she said what she needed to say before the pain blotted out everything else.

"You gave me blood?" it was part question, part statement.

Carol nodded, "I did."

Amelia swallowed, "You saved my life."

"I'm glad I could help." She patted Amelia's hand and then paused, obviously deciding whether to continue or not.

"I'm glad I could help for a number of reasons. But," she paused again, "If I'm completely honest, I mostly helped you for one very important reason."

Carol took a deep breath, "Daryl, he - well, he obviously cares for you a great deal. And Daryl is very special to me. I owe him a lot and anything I can do to help him, I will."

She paused again for so long, her face a mixture of sadness and anger, that Amelia was certain she was going to simply end the conversation there but she drew another deep breath and stared directly at Amelia, "Daryl's a good man. I'm sure you've already figured that out but I don't think you understand just how broken he was before he met us. I don't believe even _he_ understood how broken he was. Being with us, being accepted for who he is, has helped him start to heal and we want it to stay that way. He's done so much for us – for me." She finished softly.

Carol squeezed her hand and stood up, "You're starting to look worn out. I'm going to send Beth in with some soup. Do you think you could eat it?"

Amelia nodded wanly.

Carol smiled again at her, "I like you Amelia. I know we haven't spent much time together but I think we could be friends. I just want to make sure you understand what Daryl means to me and that I'll do my best to make sure he isn't hurt."

"I understand perfectly." Amelia responded. She was suddenly extremely tired and on the verge of tears but she held them back fiercely. Carol stood up and turned to the door as it opened and Daryl entered the room, balancing a tray with a bowl of soup and a bowl of canned peaches.

"Hello Carol." He gave her the smile he reserved just for her and Amelia's stomach twisted a little.

"Hi. I was just going to send Beth in with some soup for her. Are you covering the afternoon shift with Amelia?" she asked.

"Nah, gonna leave with T-Dog to try and hunt something bigger than squirrels. Melissa's coming by in a bit, just thought I'd bring her some lunch." He answered.

"She slept most of the morning but she was having a pretty bad nightmare and she still seems a bit shaken to me." Carol rested her hand on Daryl's arm. "Be nice to her."

Amelia, irritated that they were talking about her like she wasn't even in the room, spoke up, "I'm feeling just fine and I don't need a babysitter."

Daryl glanced over at her, eyes narrowing at her pale face, "Ya don't look fine."

"Gee thanks." Amelia muttered. She tried to sit up a bit and her shoulder screamed in protest at her. She bit back the groan of pain that wanted to escape but it must have shown on her face because as Carol left the cabin, Daryl frowned and hurried to the side of the bed.

"Here, let me help ya."

"I don't need help." She said through gritted teeth.

He ignored her and placed one hand on the back of her neck under her hair and slipped the other between her back and the pillows. She shivered at the touch of his warm hands, cursing herself for the butterflies that appeared in her stomach every time he touched her.

Gently he eased her forward and slipped another folded blanket behind her back. She was sitting up straight now and she experimentally moved her left arm inside the sling. This time the pain was too great to ignore and she hissed a very unladylike expletive under her breath.

Daryl grinned, "There's the Amelia I know."

"Shut up." She scowled at him.

"Here." He held a spoonful of soup out to her.

She shook her head, grimacing a little at the pain, "No way. You are _not_ feeding me Daryl Dixon."

He shrugged, "Don't seem like you have much choice."

"I'll wait for Melissa."

"I let ya feed me." He pointed out.

Amelia signed in annoyance. He had her on that one. She allowed Daryl to feed her the bowl of soup and half the bowl of peaches.

He frowned when she refused the rest of them, "You need to eat Amelia. You've lost too much weight and ya need to gain yer strength back."

Despite his urging she refused to eat anymore and with a scowl he placed the bowl of peaches on the kitchen counter. "You can eat them later." He informed her.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Yes sir." She squirmed a bit in the bed, "Do you know when Melissa will be here?"

"Why?" he frowned at her. "What do you need?"

She squirmed again, "I have to use the bathroom."

He bent and started to pulled top sheet off of her. She grabbed at it with her hand and winced at the resulting pain.

"What? Let me help ya. I'm right here."

"I'd prefer to wait for Melissa." She told him politely. Her bladder vehemently disagreed with her but she ignored it.

"Don't be silly." He said brusquely. Before she could stop him he had tugged the sheet from her hand. She covered her naked breasts with one arm, a blush rising in her cheeks.

Obviously starting to be irritated, Daryl tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice, "I've seen what ya have to offer Amelia - more than once. There ain't no point in being shy now."

Amelia flushed, "There's no need to be coarse."

Daryl shrugged, "Just bein' truthful."

Amelia sighed. He really was just being truthful but after her conversation with Carol she didn't feel right about him seeing her half-naked. There was obviously something between him and Carol. Her conversation with Carol had only confirmed what Amelia saw whenever they were together and the casual intimacy she had adopted with Daryl was suddenly making her feel very much like a home wrecker.

Moving quickly he helped her swing her legs over the side of the bed and pulled her to her feet. He didn't give her the option to walk, just picked her up and carried her to the small bathroom. He placed her gently on her feet and held her around the waist.

Amelia stared at him when he didn't move. "Uh, okay thanks, you can leave Daryl. I just need a minute."

He shook his head, "I'd better stay just in case."

"Not a chance in hell Daryl. You are not watching me pee. Now go." She stared at him and although he rolled his eyes at her stubbornness, he left her to herself in the bathroom.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Thank you so much Maggie. I know that clothes are in short supply right now." Amelia smiled gratefully at the young woman as Maggie and Melissa helped her into the simple white tank top.

"Don't be silly." Maggie said. "I don't mind sharing."

"This is going to hurt." Melissa warned. She had already removed Amelia's sling and now she carefully began to maneuver the top over her arm and shoulder. With Maggie's help she managed to slip the tank top on without causing too much pain but Amelia sighed with relief when Melissa carefully bundled her arm back up in the sling.

"Besides, we need to have you presentable for your visitors. They've been dying to see you for the last three days." Maggie grinned impishly at her and walked to the door as Melissa helped Amelia lean back against the blankets.

Amelia smiled tiredly at Melissa. She had arrived just as Daryl was helping her back into the bed and she had spent the last couple of hours catching Amelia up with the news of the camp. They had returned to the lake and buried Andy, she had assured Amelia, handing her a tissue when Amelia had started to cry.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Melissa had asked quietly.

"No, I can't – not yet." Amelia hadn't been sure she would ever be ready to talk about it. What she had been positive about was that the look on Andy's dying face would haunt her dreams forever.

Now, Melissa looked at her with concern. "Are you too tired Amelia? You don't have to have visitors today."

"I'm fine." Amelia looked expectantly at the door as Maggie swung it open and stuck her head out onto the porch.

"C'mon in."

Amelia smiled as Michael walked into the cabin, ducking a little to get through the door. Ellie trailed behind him, her thumb stuck firmly in her mouth. She looked down at the floor as she walked.

"Seeing you hurt has upset her quite a bit." Melissa whispered. "Carol says she cries every night before bed."

"She's staying with Carol?" Amelia whispered back.

Melissa nodded, "Yes. She's grown quite fond of Carol."

Amelia swallowed the pain she felt, first Daryl and now Ellie?

"Don't be silly." she reprimanded herself, "Carol is way more of a mother type than you'll ever be. Hell, look how quickly she calmed you down after your nightmare. It's good if Ellie is becoming attached to her. "

"Hi darlin'." Michael bent over the bed and kissed her softly on the cheek. "How do you feel?"

"Good." Amelia smiled at him, "Tired, but good." She carefully peered around Michael's large frame. "Hi Ellie baby."

Ellie twitched but continued to stare at the floor; her thumb still in her mouth.

Michael crouched and put one arm around Ellie's thin shoulders. "It's okay Miss Ellie. Why don't you give Amelia a hug? Just be careful of her sore arm."

For a moment the little girl stayed where she was. Just when Amelia was sure Ellie wasn't going to budge, she climbed slowly and carefully on to the bed beside her. She wrapped her arm around Amelia's neck and buried her face in her throat. Amelia placed her arm around her and rubbed her back, inhaling the girl's good, clean scent.

"I've missed you so much Ellie baby." She whispered into her hair.

The little girl began to cry quietly.

"Hush baby. It's okay." Amelia continued to rub her back as Ellie sobbed into her throat. After a few minutes the little girl's sobs had slowed to the occasional long, shuddering sigh. Finally she lifted her head and stared at Amelia with a tear-stained face.

"I thought you were dead 'melia." She whimpered.

"No Ellie baby. I wouldn't leave you like that." Amelia smiled at her and tugged gently on her braid. "Who braided your hair? It looks very pretty."

Ellie smiled shyly, "Carol did it. She's nice. I like her."

"I'm glad Ellie." Amelia ignored the niggle of jealousy in her belly.

Ellie nodded, "I'm sleeping in her cabin and every night we have hot chocolate and she reads me a book. And she lets me sleep right in the bed with her even though there are two beds and last night I had a bad dream and I – " she paused, her face darkening at the memory, "I wet the bed, even though I'm a big girl, and she didn't yell at me or anything."

"Heck Miss Ellie," Michael winked at her, "I had a bad dream last night and nearly wet the bed myself. And look how big I am. It's nothing to be ashamed of little girl."

As Ellie started to giggle, Amelia couldn't help but laugh. Her giggling was infectious and she hadn't realized just how much she missed Ellie until this very moment.

Ellie curled up on the bed beside her, resting her small body against Amelia's as Michael sat on the bed beside them and took her hand.

"I'm sorry Amelia." He squeezed her fingers. "It's my fault. I should never have left you alone."

"Don't be silly. It isn't anyone's fault and I wasn't alone. Andy was with me." Amelia scolded him gently.

Michael's face fell at the mention of Andy, "Do you – " he paused, glancing at Ellie.

"Yes, I know what happened. " Amelia responded quietly. "I don't want to talk about it. I can't talk about it."

Michael nodded, "Of course darlin'. If you ever do though, you know I'm here right?"

Amelia smiled at him. She enjoyed his friendship and she suddenly wished bitterly that she felt the same affection for him that he felt for her. Michael wanted her, she wanted Daryl, and Daryl wanted Carol. She wondered if given enough time she could just accept that Daryl's heart belonged to Carol and give Michael a chance. He was a good man and would treat her well.

"Amelia? Should we go? Are you getting tired?" Michael squeezed her hand anxiously.

"I'm okay. I'll probably need to rest soon but for now I'm happy to have you and Ellie with me." Amelia answered.

Melissa stood up from the love seat. "Michael can you stay with Amelia for a little bit? Hershel will be by in about an hour or so to take a look at her shoulder."

"Of course." Michael nudged Ellie, "Do you want to go with Melissa or stay here for a bit longer?"

"Here." She snuggled deeper into Amelia's side.

As Melissa left the room, Amelia shifted into a more comfortable position. "Tell me what you've been doing for the past few days Ellie."

Just over an hour later, Amelia tried to stifle a yawn and failed. Michael laughed, "You're ready for a nap pretty lady."

Amelia gave him a mock glare, "I'm fine. In fact, I could take you out even with a sore arm mister. You'd better watch yourself."

He bellowed good-natured laughter, "I was thinking I should take a turn –" Michael paused as the door opened behind him and Daryl stepped into the room.

"Daryl." Michael's voice was politely neutral.

Daryl nodded at him before removing his boots and dropping a small overnight bag on the couch. Michael frowned; the implications of Daryl's actions were obvious.

"HI Daryl!" Ellie had moved to the end of the bed and she waved cheerfully at him.

"Hey kid." Daryl grunted and walked to the kitchen. He poured a glass of water and brought it to Amelia, "Here, drink this."

Amelia took the glass from him without comment and sipped at the water. The tension between Daryl and Michael was nearly unbearable and she tried desperately to think of something to break the silence.

"How was hunting?" she smiled tentatively at Daryl.

He shrugged, "Caught a few rabbits. Lori and Carol are cooking them now. "

Ellie climbed into Michael's lap and settled against him contently. Amelia breathed a sigh of relief when the cabin door opened and Hershel entered the room.

"How are you feeling Amelia?" he placed a worn hand on her forehead and took her pulse.

She waited until he dropped her wrist, "Better I think. Still hurts like hell but either I'm getting used to it or the pain is getting better."

He laughed, "It's probably a bit of both." He looked at Michael and then Daryl. "I'm going to change her bandage now." He glanced briefly at Ellie, "She probably shouldn't be here for that."

"Miss Ellie, what do you say we go find Carol and see if we can help her with dinner?" Michael tugged on Ellie's braid.

"I wanna stay with Amelia." The little girl pouted.

"I know Ellie, but Amelia is tired and needs to rest. You can visit her tomorrow okay?"

"I guess so." The little girl sighed as Michael picked her up and held her down to Amelia so she could place a kiss on her cheek.

Michael paused by the bed, "Amelia, why don't I come back and stay here tonight with you? I don't mind keeping you company."

"I've got it covered." Daryl spoke from his spot in the kitchen.

Michael glanced at him, "I'm sure you could use a break. That love seat can't be very comfortable."

He turned back to Amelia, "What do you say white girl?"

Amelia took his hand in hers and squeezed it, "I love you for offering Michael but you'll never fit on that love seat. It'll be much too uncomfortable for you and you won't get any sleep at all."

He shrugged, "I can sleep on the floor."

She laughed, "Uh-huh. This coming from the man who grumbled when we couldn't find a room that didn't have a queen bed."

He was trying to look disappointed but she could see the corners of his mouth turning up, "That was back when it was just you, me, and Alicia. Do you remember that house we stayed in? The one we thought was abandoned?"

Amelia laughed and then winced as pain radiated through her shoulder. "Oh God, I had forgotten about that crazy old man who crept out of the attic and climbed into the bed with you in the middle of the night. What was it that he called you?"

Michael grinned, "Martha. He ended up being a bit too friendly for this Martha's liking."

Daryl watched as Amelia laughed. He curled his hands into fists and stared woodenly at the floor. It was all he could do to stop himself from physically throwing Michael out of the cabin. "She cares for him." He reminded himself. His stomach clenched at the memory of Amelia in Michael's arms, his mouth on hers. He had spent the next two weeks ignoring her, certain that any day she would move into Michael's cabin, and puzzled when she continued to stay on her own. He had convinced Hershel that Amelia should have few visitors while she was healing but he refused to admit to himself that it was mostly Michael he was trying to keep away. Still, he couldn't stop the immediate burn of anger starting in the pit of his stomach when he had opened the cabin door a few minutes ago to see Michael sitting on Amelia's bed, holding her hand.

He realized that Hershel was saying something to him and forced himself to concentrate, "What was that?" he grunted.

The old man repeated himself, "Michael's going to take Ellie back to the main lodge and I'm going to change Amelia's bandage. Can you stay and help or should I get Melissa?"

"I can help." He pushed away from the counter as Michael gave Amelia a final kiss on her forehead.

Carrying Ellie, he walked to the door of the cabin, pausing at the threshold, "I'll see you tomorrow white girl."

Amelia nodded distractedly; Hershel was about to start changing her bandage and she was already dreading the pain.

As Daryl sat on the bed beside her, Hershel started to unwrap the sling, "Deep breaths Amelia. Here we go."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Amelia watched with some apprehension as Daryl blew the candles out one by one. He approached the bed, stripping off his shirt and dropping it to the floor. He hadn't even bothered with the love seat and although earlier in the evening she had decided she would ask him to sleep on it instead of in the bed, she now found her resolve wavering. As he climbed carefully into the bed beside her, she cursed herself for being so weak. It wasn't fair to Carol or herself but as Daryl coiled his body around hers, resting one hand possessively on her hip, she couldn't deny that she had waited all day for this very moment.

She knew she needed to talk to Daryl about Carol; she needed to end the doubt and the confusion for good. But she was certain that discussing Carol meant losing Daryl. She was positive that once Daryl realized that she knew how he felt about Carol, whatever it was he felt for Amelia – desire, lust - would end and she would be alone. Just the thought of never touching him again, or being forced to watch him build a life with another woman made her sick to her stomach.

Amelia sighed. What did it matter? Even if Daryl was torn between his affection for Carol and his lust for her, Carol obviously knew exactly what she wanted. The woman had saved her life and Amelia was repaying that debt by keeping the man Carol loved away from her. She was a horrible person.

Later, she decided. I'll talk to him when I'm healed and not so tired and afraid. She ignored the little voice that asked her if she was putting off the conversation not because she was injured and afraid, but in the hopes that, given enough time, Daryl would choose her over Carol.

She pushed aside her guilt and tucked her face into its customary spot on his neck. For the first time in 3 days she had been awake for most of the day. She was deeply tired but her shoulder ached like a rotten tooth, despite the Advil Daryl had given her half an hour ago. She knew she was in for a long sleepless night. She lay quietly for nearly an hour, trying to ignore both the pain in her shoulder and her jumbled, guilty thoughts, concentrating on breathing slowly and evenly.

"Can't sleep?" Daryl's voice spoke quietly in the darkness.

"No. I'm a little uncomfortable." She admitted. "I don't normally sleep on my back."

He rose up on one arm and squinted at her, "Do you want to try lying on yer side?"

She thought about it for a moment, "Yes. I think I would."

With Daryl's help she sat up and twisted her body to the right. It hurt but not as much as she feared, and soon she was curled on her right side. Daryl rested behind her and she leaned back against his body for support. He placed his hand on her waist, being careful to avoid her arm and shoulder.

"Better?" he asked, his breath tickling her ear. A shiver went down her spine and she nodded.

"Think you can sleep now?" he asked.

She shook her head, "I don't know. I hope so."

She was quiet for a few minutes then, "Whose Merle?"

She felt his body stiffen, "Why?"

"You said his name once in your sleep. I just wondered who he was."

There was a pause, "My brother."

"Is he – still alive?"

He shrugged, "I dunno. "

He was quiet again and although she was curious about his life, she didn't want to push him for details. She was surprised when he began to speak again. He spoke steadily for nearly an hour, telling her about two boys who had been forced to mostly fend for themselves when their mother had finally abandoned them and her abusive, alcoholic husband for another man. How the father had taken out his anger at her betrayal first on Merle, and then moving on to Daryl when Merle had started to fight back. Her stomach clenched with horror and pity when he told her the story of being lost in the woods as a child. His older brother in juvenile detention by then and his father too drunk to even notice his youngest child's absence.

"It was better that way." Daryl's voice was a quiet rasp in the darkness. "The less he noticed ya - the less beatings ya got."

"The scars?" Amelia whispered.

He nodded against her back, "My old man." He didn't elaborate and Amelia was too horrified by what he had gone through to ask for details.

His father had died of liver disease when Daryl was just 15. At that point Merle, back from juvenile detention, had been declared his legal guardian and they had lived together ever since. "Well, mostly." Daryl amended, "Sometimes Merle would find himself a woman and live with her until she got tired of him and kicked him out. Then he'd move back in with me."

He finished his story by telling Amelia how they had met up with the group. Although he didn't say it, Amelia suspected that the group had accepted them mostly because of the Dixon's obvious Walker killing abilities and Daryl's hunting expertise. She wasn't surprised when Daryl told her about Merle turning on T-Dog and Rick leaving him chained to the roof in Atlanta. She squeezed his hand hard when he told her how they had gone back to get Merle and made the gruesome discovery that he had cut off his own hand to escape.

"Do you think he survived?" she whispered. Her hand still held Daryl's and she linked their fingers together.

"I do." He replied, "Merle's the toughest bastard I've ever met."

"I'm so sorry Daryl."

He grunted in surprise, "Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for everything - for your miserable childhood, for your rotten dad, and for losing your brother. I hope you find him again, I truly do." She squeezed his hand again. She wished she could turn and hug him and she cursed inwardly at her stupid shoulder.

He shrugged, "Life ain't easy for anyone."

"I suppose you're right." She stared into the darkness.

"What about you?" he asked. "Ya got any siblings?"

She nodded, "I had a younger brother. His name was Tom."

Daryl's hand tightened on her hip, "How did he die?"

"When I was 17 my parents and Tom were killed in a car accident. She laughed bitterly, "The drunk driver that hit them was perfectly fine. She walked away from the accident without a scratch on her."

She continued, her voice calm and steady, "I was supposed to be with them but I had gotten into a fight, a stupid fight, with my mother that morning about my current boyfriend. I refused to go with them because I wanted to spend the day with him instead. Do you know I can't remember his name?" she shook her head, "He was more important to me on that day then my own family, and now I can't even remember his name. I was so stupid."

"Not stupid, just young." Daryl replied.

"My parents died instantly in the crash but Tom, he was strong you know?" She swallowed, hearing the dry click of her throat. "He lived for 3 more days. The car had caught on fire and he was horribly burned on over 70% of his body. He never woke up and when he died the doctors said it was almost a blessing; if he had survived it would have been years and years of surgeries, painful skin grafts and horrible scarring."

"How old was he?" Daryl asked.

"He was 14 when he died." She smiled in the darkness. "He would have liked you Daryl. Would have – admired you I think."

"I'm sorry." He muttered.

"Like you said – life ain't easy for anyone."

"What'd you do then?" Daryl shifted positions, sliding one leg between hers and resting his hand on her flat belly.

Ignoring the twinge of guilt at their intimacy, Amelia said, "I moved in with Papa and Nan and lived with them until they both died."

"Do you have any other family?"

She shook her head, "No. Neither of my parents had any siblings."

"Jesus, that's rough." He said.

"Actually, considering that the world has gone to shit, it's probably a good thing that I don't have any family to worry about." It was Andy she was thinking about. Young, cheerful Andy who had been so worried about his sister.

He was silent and she wondered if he was thinking about Merle. It didn't sound to her like Merle was worth much of anything but family was family.

"You should try and get some sleep." He spoke gruffly.

"Good night Daryl." She shivered when he placed a gentle kiss on the back of her shoulder.

"Night Amelia."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Amelia stood in front of the mirror in the tiny bathroom and stared at her left shoulder. Where once only smooth skin was, there was now a twisted and puckered 4-inch scar. Thank God my knife was small she thought wryly to herself. She straightened her shirt and, gritting her teeth, began the set of simple exercises Hershel had instructed her to do twice daily.

Ignoring the pain, she straightened her arm and lifted it away from her body. She could only raise it a few inches but Hershel had told her that was enough for now. As she carefully and slowly raised her injured arm up and down she thought back on the last 2 weeks. It had taken nearly a week before the swelling went down enough for her and Hershel to discover the back of her upper arm was completely numb.

"I'm so sorry Amelia." Hershel's face dropped, "I should have done a better job."

"Are you kidding me Hershel?" Amelia took his hand and squeezed it. "You saved my life remember? I'd rather be here with a numb arm then dead. Besides – my hand works fine so don't trouble yourself about a numb area in my arm. You did an amazing job."

Every day she had gotten a little better. The constant pain of the first few days had gradually become more tolerable and now it only hurt when she was doing her exercises or if she forgot and moved her arm too quickly. It took nearly a week before she could move shakily around the cabin, or get in and out of the bed without help and only then had she been allowed a bit of privacy. Not that it mattered. Even though she no longer required constant babysitting, she spent most of her days wrapped in a thick quilt in a chair by the fire in the main lodge. There was a constant flow of people in and out of the lodge and she mostly sat quietly, listening to the others as they talked.

It was growing colder by the day. Most mornings there was a heavy layer of frost on the ground and although there was no snow, there were plenty of days where it froze rain. They hadn't seen a single Walker since the incident by the lake; Amelia supposed the frozen rain was a blessing in that regard. The cold weather must be slowing them down in some way. However, the cold weather also meant fresh meat was scarce. Daryl and the other men, as well as Maggie occasionally, spent most of their days hunting for any type of meat they could find. He hadn't said anything but Amelia knew Rick was becoming more and more concerned about their food supplies. Daryl had shared Rick's fears with her as they had lain quietly together in her bed.

Amelia sighed. Although she had assured Daryl that she was fine and could spend the night by herself, without fail every evening before darkness fell, he showed up at her doorstep. Not that she had tried that hard to dissuade him, she admonished herself. Although physically she was healing, emotionally she was still struggling with what had happened by the lake that day. During the day, surrounded by warmth and the company of others, it was easy to push what had happened to the back of her mind. Night was a completely different story. Even with the comforting weight of Daryl`s body against hers, the nightmares continued. She would wake, shuddering and crying, from dreams where she could only watch helplessly as Andy was killed, dreams where Freddie bit into her flesh over and over, or worse, dreams where Andy was the one who pulled her into his cold embrace and ripped her throat out. Daryl would hold her, rubbing her back while she shivered and moaned against him. She had worked hard to convince herself it was for this reason, comfort from the nightmares, and this reason alone that she didn't try harder to persuade him to sleep in his own cabin.

A few hours later Amelia was clumsily helping to clear the table of lunch dishes when the radio on Glen's belt crackled.

"Glen, come in Glen."

"I hear you Rick." Glen spoke into the radio as the others quieted.

"Grab T-Dog and Daryl and get down to the lake. We've got Walkers."

Amelia's heart dropped to her stomach as Glen, T-Dog and Daryl ran out of the main lodge. Michael, Beth and Carol had left just after lunch to haul water from the lake and she tried to hide the terror on her face when Ellie ran to her and clung to her leg.

She picked her up awkwardly with her good arm and did her best to comfort her. "It's okay baby. Everything will be fine." She prayed that she was right.

The next half hour was agonizing for those left behind in the main lodge. Maggie paced the large living room, stopping to check out the window every few minutes. Lori sat quietly on one of the couches, her arm around Carl, one hand stroking his hair while she gazed into the fire. Amelia carried Ellie to the rocking chair next to the fire and sat down with the young girl on her lap. She rocked her gently, rubbing her back as Ellie hugged her.

Suddenly, Maggie darted for the front door. "They're back!" The rest of them piled out of the main lodge. Amelia searched the faces frantically. Michael was easy to pick out; he stood nearly a full foot above everyone else. Behind him was Beth; Hershel had left his post at the deer blind and was hugging his youngest daughter. She looked shaken but unhurt.

Daryl? Where was Daryl? Amelia didn't realize she was squeezing Ellie's hand until the little girl whimpered and tried to pull her hand free. She took a deep breath as Daryl, Rick and Carol came out of the trees. From where she was Amelia could see that Carol was deathly pale and as they entered the clearing, she stumbled and fell to her knees. Daryl scooped her up and carried her to her cabin.

Rick, hugging Carl with one arm, spoke, "Glen and Frank go to the blind and keep watch. Hershel, can you take a look at Carol?"

Hershel nodded and followed Rick into Carol's cabin.

Ellie ran to Michael who picked her up and hugged her against him. He smiled at Amelia and took her cold hand in his large one as they climbed the steps of the main lodge.

"Are you okay?" she asked, squeezing his hand.

He nodded.

"What happened? Is Carol… was she hurt?"

He shook his head as the others gathered around him. "It was a small herd, only 5 of them. They were slow from the cold and that made the difference." He glanced around the room, "I killed 2 of them and then the others showed up and killed the rest but there was one, just half a body really, that was hidden in the grass by the water. It grabbed Carol by her leg and pulled her down. It happened so fast. If Daryl hadn't been so quick with his crossbow, Carol would have -" He stopped and looked at Ellie. She was trembling and staring at him with wide eyes.

"Carol?" she whispered as her thumb crept into her mouth.

"She's just fine Miss Ellie. Don't you worry about that." Michael hugged her reassuringly. "She just needs to rest for a bit. I'll take you to see her later okay?"

Maggie, who was hugging Beth to her side, said, "Well, I guess that blows our theory that the cold is stopping them."

Michael shrugged, "It does slow 'em down. They were easier to kill than any other Walker I've run into."

Lori spoke, "I'm going to boil some water for tea for Carol. She'll need something to help warm her up. Michael, Beth, why don't you go stand by the fire and we'll make you tea as well."

Amelia looked up as Maggie entered the main lodge. It was just after supper and she had returned from delivering dinner to Carol's cabin. Earlier Ellie had gone with Lori to take tea to Carol and had refused to leave Carol's side. Amelia hadn't seen any sign of Daryl either and she supposed he was still in Carol's cabin as well.

"How is she doing?" Amelia asked as Maggie sank onto the couch beside her.

"She's okay. Just badly shaken; Michael wasn't kidding when he said it was a close call."

"I'm glad she's safe. Is Ellie still with her?"

Maggie nodded. "She kicked up a fuss when I told her it was time to leave and Carol wanted her to stay anyway. Ellie's good for her, after everything that's happened to Carol."

Amelia stared curiously at her. It sounded like Maggie was talking about more than the incident this afternoon but before she could question her further, Lori sat down beside them.

"Does Carol want me to come and stay with her tonight? I'd be happy to."

Maggie shook her head, "No. Daryl's going to stay with her and Ellie tonight."

Amelia tried desperately to keep a neutral expression on her face. It was nearly impossible. Her stomach was churning and although she was truly happy that Carol was okay, she couldn't stop the ripple of jealousy through her body. Unbidden, a vision of Daryl lying in Carol's bed, holding her small body against his, rose in her mind and she stood up abruptly.

"I think I'll go to bed early tonight." She gave Maggie and Lori a wan smile. "It's been a long day."

Michael rose from his spot by the fire, "Do you want me to stay with you Lia?"

She hesitated and then shook her head, "Thank you Michael but I'm fine. You've had a long day too and you need your rest."

He looked like he was about to protest but then just nodded his head and returned to his seat. Amelia tried to keep it together but by the time she left the lodge she was nearly running.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Amelia added another log to the small cook stove in the kitchen and pulled the rocking chair closer. She sat down and stared at the flickering flames. It had to be close to 9 in the morning; Glen had already knocked on her cabin door and given her the okay to leave but she had decided to skip breakfast.

She was tired and for the first time in days, her shoulder was aching and throbbing. After leaving the others in the main lodge, she had crawled into her cold bed and allowed the tears to fall. After a while, the tears had dried up and she had stared dry-eyed at the ceiling of the cabin. It was ridiculous to be jealous of Carol. She had known for weeks that Daryl's heart belonged to her and it was time for Amelia to face the truth. Carol was right, Daryl _was_ a good man. He had protected and provided for both her and Ellie when they were on their own and he had comforted and cared for Amelia after she was injured. Whether it was just kindness or his way of saying thanks to Amelia for saving his life in the basement of the farmhouse, she had mistaken his actions for something more. She shook her head. No, that was wrong – she wasn't mistaken, she had just been lying to herself. Hoping and praying that Daryl would choose her. Carol couldn't be blamed for that. In fact, Amelia's face flushed with shame, Carol had been nothing but kind to her. She had given her blood and saved her life and had taken more than one babysitting shift during the first few days when Amelia was at her most vulnerable. She had comforted her after nightmares, and helped her bathe and washed her hair for her. She had been gentle and patient with Ellie. The little girl had really come out of her shell since spending so much time with Carol.

Amelia had swallowed hard, her throat burning with unshed tears. Feeling abandoned by both Ellie and Daryl was ludicrous. She wasn't the mothering type and although she had no doubt that Ellie was very fond of her, Carol, with her obvious mother vibe, had won the little girl over completely. She had reminded herself that it wasn't about her; it was about what Ellie needed. And Ellie needed Carol.

As for Daryl, well, it wasn't the first time she'd had her heart broken. She would survive. She had continued to stare at the ceiling; maybe if she told herself that enough times she would start to believe it. For the first time, she had begun to think of leaving the group. She wouldn't try to stop Daryl from being with Carol but she sure as hell wouldn't torture herself by watching it happen.

She had finally drifted into a restless sleep but had woken up only a few hours later after a particularly bad nightmare. Shuddering and gasping she had reached for the solid warmth of Daryl's body before remembering she was alone. Shaking and afraid, she had started to cry again. Daryl's presence had not only comforted her but it had kept away the small, ugly voice in her head that whispered she would forever be plagued by nightmares in which Andy died repeatedly while she stood by helplessly.

Finally, as slivers of cold light had begun to appear through the shuttered windows, she had risen and, wrapping herself in the quilt from the bed, sat quietly in the rocking chair next to the stove.

Daryl climbed the steps of Amelia's cabin. He was about to leave with T-Dog in another vain attempt to find fresh meat but he wanted to check on Amelia first. She hadn't been at breakfast and he'd questioned Maggie anxiously about her.

"She's fine." Maggie shrugged, "I checked on her before I came to the lodge and she said she was just tired and was going to try and sleep a bit more."

He knocked and entered without waiting for her response. He frowned uneasily. She was sitting by the cook stove wrapped in the quilt from her bed and she looked tired and unwell. There were dark circles under her eyes and she was too pale.

"Amelia? Are ya okay?" he crossed the room and stood in front of her.

She smiled up at him, "Hello Daryl. I'm good."

He knelt in front of her. "Ya don't look good."

She brushed off his concern, "How is Carol?"

"She's better. She had a bad night but she's okay now."

She gave him another tired smile, her eyes not quite meeting his, and turned her face back to the warmth of the flames through the open door of the cook stove, "I'm really glad to hear that."

He reached out and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. "And you? Did ya have a bad night?"

She shrugged and rocked back in the rocking chair, tugging her chin free from his grip, "It was fine. I just didn't get enough sleep." She smiled wanly, "I'll have a nap this afternoon."

Daryl stared worriedly at her. Something was wrong; she seemed cold and distant, not at all like her usual self. He cursed himself for leaving her alone last night; a night hadn't gone by where she hadn't woke him up crying and shaking from a nightmare, and even with him holding her it took forever for her to go back to sleep.

He cleared his throat roughly, "How bad were the nightmares?"

She pressed her lips together and lied, "Not that bad actually. I think they're getting better." Still avoiding his gaze she continued, "My shoulder is just pretty sore today. I must have strained it yesterday picking up Ellie."

He sighed with frustration. He wanted to stay and find out what was wrong with Amelia but T-Dog was waiting for him. "Amelia, I'm goin' huntin' with T-Dog. We'll talk more tonight okay?"

"Actually, I think it's probably best if I stay on my own now." Her voice was so low he had to strain to hear it. "You'll be more comfortable in," she paused and her voice faltered for a moment, "your bed and my shoulder is healed up enough that I don't need a babysitter anymore."

"Amelia, what's wrong with ya?" he growled with frustration. "Why are ya actin' this way?"

For the first time since he had entered her cabin, she met his gaze. Her dark brown eyes regarded him steadily and although she smiled at him, the usual warmth he had grown accustomed to seeing in her eyes had disappeared. "I swear there's nothing wrong Daryl. It's just time that I start to take care of myself; I can't be relying on others to rearrange their lives to suit my needs."

She reached out and briefly clasped his hand with hers. It was ice cold but when he tried to warm it between both of his hands she pulled free from his grip. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me Daryl; I know I would be dead if it hadn't been for you. I will always be grateful but it isn't fair to expect you to continue to look after me."

"Amelia, yer actin' crazy, I don't know what ya think –"

"Daryl?" T-Dog stuck his head into the cabin. "We should get going." He stared curiously at them for a moment.

Daryl stood and stared down at Amelia. She was staring into her lap, and with an exasperated grunt he said, "We'll talk about this when I get back."

He left the cabin, stopping to glance at her once more before closing the door. She was still staring down at her lap, her hands folded together like she was praying, as she slowly rocked back and forth.


	31. Chapter 31

**So these next two chapters were ones that I had planned to upload next week, but I'm sensing a theme of frustration with the "continuing angst". ;) Enjoy.**

Chapter 31

It was close to the supper hour before Amelia finally dragged herself from her cabin and joined the others in the main lodge.

She walked into the kitchen and smiled at Lori who was starting to set the table.

"Can I help?" she asked, reaching for a stack of plates with her good hand.

"Thanks." Lori set out glasses as Amelia silently placed a plate at each spot.

Carol appeared in the doorway of the large walk-in pantry at the far end of the kitchen. She was pale and looked like she had been crying.

"Hello Amelia." She said in her soft voice.

"Hi Carol. How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, "I'm fine." She placed the 3 cans of green beans she was carrying on the counter and began to rummage through the drawer for a can opener.

"Did T-Dog and Daryl find fresh meat?" she asked Lori.

"Um…" Lori paused and stared at her.

Dread trickled down Amelia's spine. She looked around the lodge. Everyone was there, either in the kitchen or living room, except for Glen and Maggie who were on watch duty, and Daryl and T-Dog. They were all strangely quiet and Michael in particular was staring at her with an odd expression on his face.

As Lori went to Carol and placed a thin arm around her shoulders, Amelia turned to her, "What? What's happened?" she couldn't keep the panic from rising in her voice.

"Nothing's happened that we know of." Rick entered the kitchen from the living room. "It's just - Daryl and T-Dog aren't back yet and they left early this morning."

"Oh my God." Amelia stumbled blindly to one of the kitchen chairs and dropped into it. Her glance fell on Carol's tear-stained face and she bit her lip, finally understanding why Carol looked so ill to her stomach.

"Who's going to look for them?" she asked Rick.

He sat beside her and took one cold hand in his, "Amelia, we can't – that is – no one is going to go and look for them. It'll be dark in an hour or so and we can't risk having people getting lost or hurt." He looked at Carol, she was staring at him with something close to hatred, but he swallowed grimly and continued, "There's still a chance that they're just fine and will be back soon."

Amelia just stared at him, "Are you kidding me? No one's ever gone hunting for this long. Something's happened to them Rick and you know it. We have to look for them." She stood and paced around the lodge.

No one would look at her or Carol and she was suddenly utterly and completely furious with all of them. "No one is willing to search for them? Are you all cowards?"

Michael placed a large hand on her good arm, "Amelia, it's not that simple. Daryl and T-Dog, they know the risks; they wouldn't want us to go and look for them."

"Bullshit Michael!" she spat at him. "If it was one of us, he - they would search for us."

Michael shook his head, "I'm sorry Amelia. It's too dangerous."

She angrily wrenched her arm free and looked at Hershel and then Frank, "Hershel? Frank? What about you? They're your friends; are you just going to sit on your asses and hope for the best like the rest of these chickenshits?"

Neither of them responded. Beth put her arm around her father's waist and he hugged her gently to him.

Amelia shook her head in disgust, "Fuck you all. I'll look for them myself."

Melissa suddenly appeared at her side and gripped her hand. "I'll go with you Amelia." Amelia stared at her; there was an expression on Melissa's face, something she didn't quite understand, but she just nodded and squeezed Melissa's hand.

Rick shook his head, "No - you're not. Neither of you are going anywhere tonight. Do I make myself clear?"

"You think you're going to stop me?" Amelia stared at him coldly. "I've never let anyone tell me what I could or couldn't do and I'm not about to let you be the first."

Both Rick and Michael started towards her and she dropped Melissa's hand and automatically reached for the knife on her belt before remembering she hadn't carried one since she had been stabbed.

Michael spoke calmly and quietly, like he was soothing an angry cat, "Amelia, you're upset and worried and not thinking clearly. If you and Melissa go out there you'll die - if not from a Walker then most certainly from exposure."

"But it's okay if Daryl and T-Dog die?" she sneered at him. "Do you really hate him that much Michael?"

"Daryl has plenty of experience being out in the woods at night; he'll do what needs to be done to keep him and T-Dog safe." Rick had circled around her while she spoke to Michael and she whirled around to face him.

"Don't touch me." She hissed, backing away from him.

He held his hands up and gave her a wary look, "Calm down Amelia. I've already told you that no one is searching for them tonight and I meant it."

"And I told you to try and stop me." Amelia snarled.

He sighed impatiently, "I don't have to. No one in this room will let you or Melissa leave. You're outnumbered. Besides, you're not stupid; you know the futility of searching for them at night as well as I do. Don't let your emotions overrule your common sense. "

He ran a hand through his thick brown hair, "If they're not back by morning, we'll look for them. I promise you."

Amelia stared around the room. No one would look her in the eye. Well, no one except for Carol. The older woman stared at her, lips trembling, her eyes dark and unreadable. Ellie was clinging to her waist and she was stroking the girl's hair.

She allowed Melissa to take her hand and lead her to the couch. She sat down and stared blankly at her hands. Her shoulder was aching and throbbing and she rubbed it absentmindedly as Melissa sat down beside her and covered them both with a blanket.

Michael knelt on the floor beside her, "Amelia, I'm sorry. I don't want anything to –"

"Leave me alone Michael." She said dully. He sighed heavily and did as she asked.

Amelia knew Rick was right. Looking for Daryl in the dark in the woods was hopeless. Even if she had full use of all of her limbs, at best she would freeze to death, at worse she would die horribly at the hands of a Walker. She could feel tears threatening and she blinked them back fiercely. Knowing it was pointless to look for them did nothing to stop the overwhelming feeling of panic currently gnawing at her belly. Daryl was out there, in the dark and the cold, with Walkers. She thought back to this morning and was haunted by how coldshe had been to him. The confusion on his face when she had rejected him – at the time she was positive she was doing the right thing. Now, she would do anything to take back that moment.

Melissa let out a long, shuddering sigh and wrapped her arm around Amelia's waist. She laid her head on her shoulder and Amelia could feel the dampness of her tears seeping through her shirt. She placed her arm around Melissa; she was puzzled by the short redhead's tears and obvious distress, but it was obvious Melissa was in no mood to answer questions.

She and Melissa sat on the couch as the others, talking in low murmurs, continued dinner preparations. Occasionally someone would glance over at them but Amelia refused to acknowledge anyone. When Lori tried to urge them to eat, both she and Melissa refused. She didn't know about Melissa, but Amelia's stomach was a sudsy stew of panic and regret and the last thing she wanted to do was eat.

Finally, dinner was over and as the others prepared to retire to their respective cabins, Melissa rose and pulled Amelia from the couch. She hugged her and standing on her tip toes, whispered into her ear, "They'll be fine. I know they will."

Amelia nodded, "Do you want to stay with me tonight Melissa?"

The redhead thought it over for a moment, "No." she murmured. "If they get back tonight, I want to be in my own cabin – just in case."

Amelia frowned. What did it matter if Melissa was in her own cabin? Before she could question her, Rick approached them. "Ladies, I need y'all to promise me that you won't go leaving on your own in the middle of the night."

He grimaced at their silence, "Frank and I are on watch tonight and we'll be keeping a close eye on both your cabins. If either of you even thinks about leaving, I'll radio Michael. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir." Amelia muttered bitterly. He ignored the jab and just nodded.

"Amelia, I'll walk you to your cabin." Michael headed towards her but she cut him off.

"No thanks. I can find my own way." She said coolly. As she started for the door of the main lodge, Melissa following her closely, Ellie ran over and hugged her around the waist. Amelia knelt down and gathered the child close, hugging her with one arm and breathing in the sweet scent of her hair.

"Good night Amelia." The little girl said solemnly, before placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Good night. Sleep sweet baby girl." Amelia whispered against her hair.

She stood up and Carol was there, standing directly in front of her. She placed a soft hand on Amelia's arm. "Daryl will come back. He always does." She smiled reassuringly at Amelia. "We thought he was dead before and he turned up and brought you and Ellie to us." She placed her other hand on the top of Ellie's head and the little girl leaned against her contently. Carol squeezed Amelia's arm; her eyes radiated sympathy but Amelia was too worried and distracted to notice. She nodded to the woman and left the lodge.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Amelia paced back and forth in her small cabin. Three hours had passed since the group had separated for their own cabins and the panic in her belly had steadily increased. She had sat quietly for a while in the rocker by the fire but as the panic grew, she had finally stood and begun to pace. She knew she should try and get some sleep, she was fully intending to be a part of the search party in the morning, sore shoulder or not, but her mind would not shut down. She couldn't stop thinking about Daryl and what would happen if they didn't find him. She'd always had an active imagination as a child and now it was like a curse, showing her vivid and detailed images of Daryl being torn apart by Walkers, of his body slowly succumbing to the cold.

She ran her fingertips over the scar on her shoulder as she marched past the love seat and back into the kitchen. He'd saved her life so many times, she mused, and now when he needed her help she was sitting warm and safe in her cabin. It wasn't right; she should be out there right now looking for him. She knew without a doubt that if the circumstances were reversed, he would be searching for –" she paused and stared at the door of her cabin.

She cocked her head to one side, listening intently. Someone or something was climbing the stairs of her porch, she was sure of it. Her heart stuttered to a stop – a Walker?

There was a soft knock on her door, "Amelia, let me in."

She stared at the door; surely what she had just heard was a combination of hope and her imagination working overtime. Still, she walked slowly towards the door, one hand pulling nervously at the neckline of her tank top.

"Amelia." Louder this time, more urgent, "Let me in goddammit."

She stumbled on legs that suddenly felt like wood, the rest of the way to the door. She fumbled for the lock on the door; her hand was shaking so badly she had to try twice before the lock turned. She threw the door open, gasping at the blast of cold air, and stared straight into the face of Daryl Dixon. She staggered backwards staring at him numbly as he entered the cabin, shutting and locking the door behind him. Ignoring her, he went straight to the cook stove and held his shaking hands over the stove.

"Daryl, are you – have you been hurt?" she wheezed.

He shook his head, "Nah - just fucking freezing."

She lurched towards him still half-convinced she was dreaming, but as she reached out one trembling hand and touched the side of his face, the truth of it - he was alive - came crashing down on her. She thought she was going to faint.

"Amelia!" Daryl looked at her sharply, "Don't pass out on me little girl."

"Don't call me a little girl." She croaked weakly.

He knelt and opened the door of the cook stove and rubbed his hands briskly together as close as he could to the flames. He winced as feeling started to come back to his fingers.

Amelia bent and pulled the crossbow and arrows from his shoulder, laying it carefully on the small kitchen table. Daryl`s ears and nose were bright red and she placed her hands over his ears, trying to warm them.

She stiffened, "Is T-Dog okay?"

He nodded and she sagged with relief, "Ayuh. He went into Melissa's cabin."

"What? Melissa's cabin?" she thought back to Melissa's determination to go with her and the young redhead's tears as they had sat together on the couch.

"Are they a couple?" she asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Daryl replied grouchily, "It ain't like we were talking about our feelings like a bunch of women out there. He went straight to Melissa's cabin. That's all I know."

She knelt clumsily beside him, wincing at the resulting pain in her shoulder and placed one hand on his face. He was angry with her and she didn't care one bit; she would rather have a sullen, angry, alive Daryl, than a dead one.

She tugged gently until he looked at her, his face was pale from the cold and his eyes were dark with anger.

"Daryl." She whispered. "I –" she stopped, blinking back tears.

"Why did ya tell me not to come here tonight? That ya didn't need me to look after you?" he scowled at her.

"Daryl, we – I – thought you were dead. Then you just show up at my cabin like nothing has happened. Can we talk later about what happened this morning?" she asked incredulously. He was acting like he hadn't been missing, like he had just been out for a leisurely stroll for the last 13 hours. She tried to place her forehead against his, she couldn't seem to stop touching him, needing the feel of his skin against hers to reassure her she wasn't dreaming.

He pulled his head back, his face a mask of barely hidden anger and something else she couldn't identify, "No, I want to know why ya said that."

She rolled her eyes in frustration, "Later Daryl. Please."

He stood up abruptly and she staggered to her feet. "I'm going back to my cabin. We can talk in the morning." He stalked towards the door and she chased after him, pulling him to a stop and twisting him around with a strength born from fear.

"Stop this." She stared at him with haunted eyes. "I thought you were dead. Do you understand me? I thought I had lost you forever."

He didn't say anything, just stared at her. The anger was draining from his face, replaced by weariness and confusion, and her heart ached for him. She pressed herself against him and placed a gentle kiss on his mouth. He didn't respond and so she pressed harder, wrapping her good hand around his neck and urging him to open his mouth with small nips and licks. He groaned and opened his mouth. She gasped, his lips were cold but his mouth was warm and as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, he grabbed her roughly around the waist.

Daryl ground his hips against Amelia's. Her hair was loose and flowing around her shoulders and he wound one hand tightly into it and yanked her head back so he could bite and lick her throat. Her skin was as soft and warm as he remembered and he pressed his lips against the wildly beating pulse in her throat.

Moaning low in his throat he kissed her again; he bit down on her full bottom lip and faintly he heard her whimper in a combination of pleasure and pain. She tried to pull her mouth from his but he cupped the back of her skull and forced her still. He kissed her almost frantically, his tongue thrusting deep into her mouth.

A small part of him knew he needed to slow down, to step away and catch his breath if he didn't want to hurt her, but after weeks of being denied what he wanted most, he was helpless to stop. Although the cabin was warm he still felt completely chilled to the bone. Trudging through the woods in the dark, the air so cold he could see his breath, his hands and feet slowly turning numb, what had kept him going was the thought of Amelia's soft warmth and how good it would feel to have her body, warm and naked, underneath him.

She was wearing men's boxer shorts and the white tank top she had borrowed from Maggie. He cupped her breast through the material, growling into her mouth at the feel of her already taut nipple. He pinched it lightly before squeezing her breast, enjoying the small moans of pleasure she made into his mouth. With another low groan he lifted her and carried her across the room to drop her roughly on the bed. She flinched, her hand coming up to touch her injured shoulder.

He wanted to say he was sorry, to stop what he was doing and make certain she was okay before continuing but his body was still moving – his hands raking down the zipper on the jacket he was wearing so he could struggle out of it. He pulled the long-sleeved shirt and t-shirt he was wearing off with one hard tug, tossing them to the floor while he kicked off his boots.

Amelia was lying silently on the bed, panting and staring up at him; her eyes were dark with desire and perhaps just a touch of fear. As he grabbed the boxers and pulled them down her legs, he tried to reassure her, "Don't be afraid."

She didn't reply, only continued to stare at him with those dark eyes. He hesitated, the smallest part of his brain that wasn't being controlled by his overwhelming need for her, trying to assert some control. But then she smiled slowly at him, a smile full of need and want, and reached for him with her uninjured arm, "I'm not afraid."

It was all he needed to hear. He grabbed her smooth, pale thighs and pulled them apart roughly, liking the way she gasped when he pushed his body down on to hers and ground his jean-clad pelvis against her naked one. He felt her thighs tighten briefly around his hips and the knowledge that she was helpless beneath him, that soon he would be inside of her and she would belong to him and only him, was almost enough to make him come in his pants.

She was still wearing the white tank top and rather than try to remove it without hurting her shoulder, he simply grabbed the neckline in his hands and tore the thin fabric apart. He pushed the fabric aside and latched on to her breast hungrily. He sucked hard on the tightened nipple, pulling at it with his teeth as she ran one hand into his hair and clutched tightly. She moaned and arched against him as he licked and nibbled his way to the other breast.

He was panting and groaning uncontrollably, biting and licking and kissing every part of her body that his mouth could reach. Her dark, silky hair was everywhere, tangled around his face and his arms, drawing him closer to her. He couldn't get enough of the warm, sweet fragrance of her skin and he inhaled deeply against her throat. He shifted against her and she groaned in pain. He knew her shoulder must be hurting her and he tensed, but sensing his hesitation she tugged his ear to her mouth and moaned, "No. Don't stop – please Daryl."

He kissed her again, forcing her mouth open wide, tongue sliding against tongue. He reached between them, flicking the button of his jeans open and tearing at the zipper with unsteady fingers. He didn't bother with the complexities of removing his jeans and underwear, just shifted until he could pull his cock free of the clothing. He was dimly aware of her reaching across the bed towards the small night stand, stretching for something but it wasn't until she pushed the foil packet into his hand that he understood what she had been doing. He tore the package open and put the thin rubber on with quick, jerky movements. He shifted, aligning himself perfectly against her nakedness and she moaned her need, her fingers tugging frantically at one hard bicep.

You should stop. She won't be ready yet. Touch her, bring her closer to the edge; you're only going to hurt her if you don't. His inner voice clamored to slow down, to be positive her body was ready for him but he couldn't stop; despite the warmth of the cabin and the heat radiating from Amelia, the cold had seemed to leech into every one of his bones and he knew of only one way that Amelia could warm him completely.

With a low groan, he plunged into her, expecting resistance, praying silently that he didn't hurt her. He moaned in surprise when he slid easily into her dampness; hell damp wasn't the right word, she was wet, soaking wet. The fact that she was so quickly and easily turned on by him had him groaning with desire and clenching the bed sheets in his hands. He was close to coming and he tried desperately to maintain some semblance of control. If he came now, like he was some horny 16 year old having his first taste of sex, he'd never be able to look Amelia in the eye again.

He forced himself to stay still even though every muscle in his body was screaming at him to move. Amelia wriggled beneath him, "Daryl?" she moaned.

"Just stay still." He ground out. Even her wiggling was bringing him closer to the edge. Panting, she did as he asked, only her hand moved, tracing along his flat stomach and then over the hard muscles in his arms.

After a moment or two he began to move. He tried to go slowly but within minutes he was thrusting into her with wild, hard movements. For the first time in hours he was finally warm, the wet heat of Amelia's tightness surrounding him had forced the lingering cold from his body like he knew it would.

Faintly he could hear Amelia panting and moaning beneath him. Her hand fell away from his arm and he glanced down at her. She was holding her injured arm, bracing it against her body as he shoved his hips against hers.

"I can't stop." he moaned, "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, "No, don't. Don't you dare fucking stop Daryl."

He thrust harder and faster; she arched her body, matching him thrust for thrust. Their hips slapped against each other in a quickening rhythm. Through a haze of pleasure he could hear her mewling and gasping for breath and as he drew closer and closer to orgasm, their bodies losing the easy natural rhythm they had fallen into, Amelia cried out with pleasure. He felt a surge of wetness and her orgasm sent him over the edge and into his own release. He pumped his hips against her a few more times and then collapsed against her soft body. She gasped in pain and he forced himself to roll off of her, knowing he was hurting her shoulder. He curled his body into hers, wrapping one arm around her waist and burying his face into her neck. The combination of the long, cold day and his intense orgasm had left him suddenly exhausted. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled into her throat. "I'm so tired."

"Shh." She hushed him, "There's nothing to be sorry about; sleep now."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Amelia woke in the dark. Her shoulder was hurting and she sat up, wincing a little at the sharp pain. She must have slept on it wrong, it hadn't – her eyes widened as the memory of what happened between her and Daryl flooded through her. She was alone in the bed but the soft glow of a candle was coming from the bathroom. She lay back down on the bed, flinching with pain as the bathroom door opened and a naked Daryl walked to the bed. He placed the candle on the night table and slipped under the covers of the bed.

He lay on his side next to her, leaving a small space between them. He propped his head on his hand and stared thoughtfully at her in the flickering light of the candle.

"Hi." She whispered.

"Hey. Ya okay?"

She smiled, "Never better. How are you?"

He nodded, "Fine."

Amelia bit her bottom lip; this was starting to feel awkward. He was still giving her that same thoughtful look and he was being careful to not let his body touch hers. She reached out her hand and ran her fingers over his cheek. He didn't move, just continued to regard her with the same silent graveness.

Starting to feel panicky, she twisted to her side to face him; mimicking his posture by propping her head up with her hand. The covers fell to her waist and she was secretly glad when Daryl's eyes dropped to her naked breasts and he swallowed hard.

Boldly, if she hesitated she would lose her nerve, she leaned forward and let her breasts brush against his chest as she placed a soft, open-mouth kiss on his lips. He inhaled sharply and allowed her to push her tongue into his mouth. She stroked his tongue with soft, long licks and he groaned into her mouth as she pressed her breasts against him. He wrapped one arm around her waist and kissed her back. When his tongue invaded her mouth she moaned encouragingly and rubbed herself against his nakedness.

With a low growl Daryl pushed her onto her back and hovered over her. Amelia tried not to flinch as a bolt of pain ran across her shoulder but he noticed immediately. He pulled away from her and rested on his back on the bed, panting heavily.

"Daryl?" she sat up and leaned over him. "What are you doing?"

He took a deep breath, "We can't do this Amelia."

She frowned, "Yes, we can." She traced one hand across his flat abdomen and slipped it under the sheet. He moaned as she took him in her hand and began to stroke him firmly.

"Stop that." He muttered.

"Stop what? This?" she rubbed her thumb over the tip of his cock and he moaned again.

"Or maybe this?" she moved her hand down his cock, squeezing at the base and twisting her fingers lightly. He shuddered with pleasure, his hips pushing into her hand. She stroked him harder and faster and as he twisted and panted beneath her hand, she leaned down, her hair tickling his ribs and kissed her way across his chest. She stopped and with a small grin, bit lightly on his flat nipple.

He growled and in one swift movement, sat up and flipped her on to her back. She cried out a little at the pain in her shoulder and his face paled. He shook his head and sat up, the sheet and quilt pooling around his waist. "This is why we can't Amelia."

She sat up beside him, leaning against his bare arm, "What - my shoulder? Daryl, it's no big deal."

"It is a big deal." He glared at her, "I already hurt ya once tonight; I ain't gonna hurt ya again Amelia."

She rolled her eyes, "You didn't hurt me Daryl."

He scowled, "It's best you don't lie to me Amelia. I could see it hurtin' ya and I still couldn't stop. I lost control."

She shook her head, "If I recall I was the one who begged you not to stop." She couldn't stop the blush rising in her face at the memory.

"Besides," she lowered her voice to a whisper and kissed his throat, sucking gently on the skin. "We'll just go real slow this time."

"Slow?" he moaned as she licked her way to his earlobe and teased it with her lips.

"Very slow." She breathed into his ear. He turned his head and captured her mouth in a kiss.

"Promise you'll tell me if I'm hurting you." He rasped out between kisses.

She ran her tongue across his lower lip, "I promise. Cross my heart." She took his hand and traced an x above her left breast before raising his hand to her mouth and sucking gently on his thumb.

"Jesus Amelia, you're killing me." he moaned. He cupped her breast in his hand, pulling and tugging on her nipple as she shifted until she was sitting in his lap. She hooked her legs around his back and crossed her feet. She could feel his erection against her and she arched her hips slowly and delicately against him as he gripped her bare bottom in his hands and squeezed.

They kissed again, tongues tangling together before he pulled her head back and kissed his way down her throat. She shivered as the stubble on his face scraped across the delicate skin of her throat and his warm, hard hands stroked her bare back. He traced her collarbone with his tongue while his hands moved around to her front and cupped and squeezed her breasts.

She gasped when he trailed his tongue over the sensitive skin of the scar on her shoulder. He kissed it softly and she shuddered.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

She shook her head and arched her back, pulling his head down to her breast. He took her nipple into his mouth, pulling gently on it with his lips and teeth. She whimpered and moaned, running her fingers through his hair and clutching his head as he teased first one breast and then the other. A familiar dull throb was starting in her belly and when Daryl reached between them and ran one finger over her clit she bucked against him. Her shoulder protested and a small gasp of pain escaped her mouth. He tensed against her but when he tried to withdraw his hand, she grabbed his wrist.

"No." she whispered, "Make me come Daryl – please."

"God Amelia, you drive me crazy." He moaned into her ear. "I'm hurting you; I know I am."

She shook her head, "Touch me - nice and slow." She guided his hand back to her warmth and her wetness.

He nipped her earlobe as his fingers found her small pink nub and began to rub slowly and firmly. She gasped and moaned, arching her hips into his hand as the pleasure grew within her. His fingers kept a slow, steady rhythm and soon she was panting and digging her hands into his shoulders.

"Daryl, please." She moaned.

"Ya said slow, remember?" he teased "Nice and slow, that's what ya said."

"Oh please." She whimpered. She arched her back and her feet braced her body against the bed as she tilted her pelvis towards him. She tried to urge him to move faster with small moans of need and thrusts of her hips but he ignored her and continued the same slow pace with his fingers.

Amelia sighed with pleasure. Liquid heat was pooling in her belly, the coil of tension was almost more than she could bear and still Daryl continued his relentless steady rhythm. He dipped his head and pulled on one hardened nipple with his teeth and that was all it took. At the feel of his teeth, the release she was looking for rushed through her and she cried out loudly as her orgasm roared through her. She collapsed against him, shuddering and panting. She pushed her face into his throat, licking the skin there lightly. It tasted slightly salty from his sweat and she trailed her tongue down his neck and across his shoulder.

He moaned a little and gripped the back of her neck, pulling her back so he could look at her. "Yer so beautiful Amelia." He kissed her on the mouth gently and she smiled against his lips.

She reached between them but he caught her by the wrist. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the palm. "No Amelia. I think you've had enough for one night."

She frowned at him, "Don't tell me what to do Daryl Dixon."

He laughed a little, "I'm just looking out for ya."

She sighed and he grinned with satisfaction when she started to shift her body off him. He placed his hands on her hips, intending to help her to her side of the bed, when she suddenly threw her weight against him, knocking him flat on his back on the bed. She straddled his hips, giving him her own grin of satisfaction as she rocked gently against his throbbing cock.

He gasped when he felt her wetness against him. "Yer not playin' fair." He moaned.

She leaned over him and placed warm, wet kisses across his chest. He groaned and grabbed her hips pushing her into position over him.

"Not yet." She whispered. She used her good hand to pull his hands away from her hips. "Nice and slow, remember Daryl?" she brought his hand to her breast and he cupped the warm, pale globe, rubbing his thumb over her nipple. His touch ignited little sparks of pleasure through her body and she groaned before guiding her breast to his mouth. He sucked hard on her nipple as she sighed and rubbed her hips against him in small circular motions. She gasped when the tip of his cock rubbed over her clit; it was still sensitive from her earlier orgasm and just the lightest touch made her squirm and shudder.

She stretched over him and reached for the night stand, he took the opportunity to cup both breasts and run his tongue back and forth over her nipples, and pulled a condom from the drawer. She ripped open the foil packet and with slightly shaking hands, smoothed the thin rubber over him. He groaned at her touch and bucked his hips upwards.

She rose up and positioned herself over him. He stared up at her pleadingly as she gave him a slow, sensual grin, "Don't move Daryl."

She grasped the base of his cock in her hand and slowly lowered herself on to him. He cried out as her tight velvet warmth surrounded him. He began to move his hips but she placed her good hand on his chest. "No." she whispered. "Don't move."

"Jesus." He swore, "Yer killin' me woman."

Bracing her hands on his chest she began a slow, unrelenting rhythm. He groaned and panted beneath her as she rocked back and forth.

"Slow." She moaned.

Daryl stared up at Amelia. Earlier it had been him in control - hard and fast and a need for a quick release. Now it was her turn and he could feel every part of her smooth wet core as she moved almost leisurely up and down. The way she tightened her muscles around his shaft as she slid down it was driving him closer and closer to the edge.

He squeezed his hands around her smooth thighs, trying desperately to stay still. It was nearly impossible as he watched Amelia arch her back and cup her breasts, thumbs teasing her nipples, as she rode him. She threw her head back moaning loudly; he could feel the silky tendrils of her long hair tickling his thighs and a whispered plea escaped his lips, "Please honey - please."

She gave a small cat-like grin of satisfaction at his whispered moan and moved faster, bracing her hands on his chest and pushing her hips up and down. He curled his hands into fists and stared into her face. The colour was high in her cheeks as she rode him harder, searching for her own release now. He grabbed her hips in his hands and she made no protest when he began to move, thrusting into her wildly.

Faintly, Amelia could hear her own ragged breathing as she slid up and down Daryl`s cock. She was lost in a haze of pleasure and was only vaguely aware of Daryl's harsh panting and the sharp sting of his fingers digging into her hips. She was starting to lose her rhythm as she rocked harder and faster against him and the way Daryl was moaning and bucking beneath her was driving her mad.

With a small cry she arched her back and came furiously as Daryl echoed her cry and followed her orgasm with his own. She collapsed against him, feeling the sweaty heat of his naked body against hers and the rapid, pounding beat of his heart beneath her cheek.

Gently he rolled over until they were facing each on their sides. He pulled her close, placed one hand on the small of her back and buried his face in her neck. "Yer mine." He whispered so quietly she could barely hear him. "Mine." He repeated against her throat.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

It was just after dawn when Amelia woke for the second time. She was too warm; Daryl was wrapped around her, his chest against her back, one muscular thigh shoved between hers and his hand cupped her breast firmly. It was nice, she thought, other than the fact that he was like a small furnace. The combination of the bed covers and Daryl's body heat had her feeling like she was on the verge of heatstroke.

She could hear Daryl's snoring lightly behind her, his breath tickling the back of her neck. She eased the covers back and began to wiggle her way free of his embrace.

Immediately, his hand tightened on her breast and he pulled her back against him, trapping her against his body, "Where ya goin'?"

"Just to the bathroom - I wasn't aware I needed your permission." She teased.

He trailed his hand from her breast up her throat and cupped her face, turning her head towards him. He kissed her deeply, using his lips and tongue to bring a flush to her cheeks and a quiet moan from her lips.

He continued to kiss her, alternating between cupping her breast and running his fingers up and down her flat belly, until she was moaning and moving restlessly against him. He stopped abruptly and whispered, "Permission granted." and released her.

She paused for a moment, disoriented by his sudden switch and then slapped him lightly on the chest.

"Have I mentioned lately that you're an asshole?" she gave him a mock glare as he grinned at her.

"Yeah but it's always nice to hear it from a mouth as pretty as yers." He drawled.

She rolled her eyes again as he flipped on to his back and tucked his arms beneath his head. She stood and walked to the bathroom, knowing he was watching her in the near darkness. She wasn't embarrassed by her nudity and before she entered the bathroom she stopped at the door and wiggled her butt at him. He growled from the bed and she grinned to herself before closing the bathroom door.

When she came out of the bathroom, Daryl had already added more wood to the cook stove and had started heating water for her bath. She stared at him for a moment, he had pulled his jeans on but hadn't bothered with his shirt and she admired the leanness of his naked torso. Even this late into the fall, the tan on his arms still hadn't faded completely and even with the myriad of scars that covered his chest and back she still found him extremely appealing. She picked up her white tank top, remembered the way Daryl had torn it from her body and shrugged into his t-shirt instead. It hung to her knees and as she carried the ripped tank top to the wood stove and threw it into the flames, Daryl eyed her shirt-clad body appreciatively.

He backed her up against the small counter and placed a trail of light kisses on her throat. "I'm gonna need that shirt back ya know." He grinned

"Yeah, well you if had been more careful with mine then I wouldn't have to use yours." She gave him a mock frown.

He grinned boyishly at her and slipped his hand up the shirt to cup one bare breast. "I've got an extra shirt you can have; I'll move my stuff over this afternoon."

She frowned a little, "Daryl, I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to move in to my cabin."

He pulled his hand away and stepped back. Her heart broke a little at the wounded look on his face. "Ya don't want me to stay here?"

"No – it's not that. It's just, well, the others…" she trailed off, looking at him miserably.

He nodded stiffly, "The others being Michael."

"What? No! Michael and I are just friends – nothing more."

"Then what the hell is the problem Amelia?" he glared at her.

She sighed and fiddled nervously with the hem of his t-shirt, "Well… Carol."

"Carol? What does she have to do with this?" he raked a hand through his hair.

She frowned, "Daryl, I know how you feel about Carol and how she feels about you. In fact, what happened between us last night shouldn't have happened. It's just, I was so worried about you and when you showed up alive and okay, I couldn't stop myself."

He was staring at her dumbfounded, "Amelia, what in hell are you talking about? Me and Carol? There ain't no me and Carol."

Now it was her turn to stare at him. "I know you love her Daryl, and I know she loves you too."

"Jesus Christ Amelia – I don't love Carol!" he shouted at her, a look of consternation coming over his face when she flinched back.

He forced himself to lower his voice, "Why would ya think I love Carol?"

"Well because," she groped for words, "The day you saw Michael kissing me, you stayed with her in her cabin that night and you spent the night with her when she was nearly attacked by the Walkers." She could see him starting to protest and she hurried on, "Plus, I see the way you look at her. You smile at her differently; you treat her differently. And Carol practically told me herself one day. She told me how special you were to her and that she would do anything to protect you."

"Amelia, ya got it all wrong."

"It's okay Daryl." She could feel the tears threatening, "I understand, really I do. Last night was amazing but we can't do this again. Carol saved my life; I won't repay her by sleeping with the man she loves."

"Ya think because I went to her cabin one night that we're in love?" he shook his head, "I walk in on you and Michael kissing but I'm the one who is in love with someone else?"

She sighed harshly, "Michael surprised me by kissing me Daryl, I wasn't kissing him and besides –"

"Sure looked like ya were kissing him." He muttered.

"And besides," she spoke firmly, "I have told him repeatedly that we're just friends and we'll never be more than just friends."

"Ya think he believes that?"

"That's not my problem." She shrugged. "I tried to explain that to you later that night and you blew me off. And the next morning," she stopped, swallowing thickly, "I saw you coming out of Carol's cabin."

"I went there because - because I was mad and upset and I didn't know what else to do." He paced the kitchen restlessly, "It got dark before I realized it and so I spent the night. She has two bedrooms in her cabin; I slept in the other bed."

"You didn't – sleep with her?" Amelia whispered.

"No, I didn't sleep with her. And after she was attacked by Walkers, she was scared and upset and I stayed with her because we're friends and because I owed her that much." He bit at the skin on the side of his thumb.

Amelia felt weak with relief. He hadn't slept with Carol and he wasn't in love with her but there was something she didn't understand. "Carol says she owes you and thinks you're very special. Are you sure she's not in love with you?"

Daryl shook his head, "Nah, she's not in love with me."

"Then what happened between you two? Why do you both feel like you owe the other?"

He sat down in one of the kitchen chairs and motioned to her, "C'mere."

She hesitated and he frowned, "C'mere Amelia."

She pushed away from the counter but when she tried to sit in the chair opposite of him, he tugged her onto his lap and held her firmly around the waist. She put her arms around his shoulders and leaned her chin on the top of his head for a moment. He kissed her collarbone and blew his breath out heavily, making her shiver.

"Ya remember when we left your farm and I told ya a little girl went missing from our camp?" he spoke into her throat.

She nodded.

"The little girl, her name was Sophia, was Carol's little girl. I told her I would find Sophia and bring her back - that she couldn't give up hope." He spoke so quietly she had to strain to hear him.

"I searched for her for days, we all did, but I wanted to be the one to find her, to bring her back safe to her mama, ya know? Only, it turned out that I was wrong. Sophia had been bit by a –" he stopped, clearing his throat roughly and she hugged him tightly against her for a moment, "She had been bit and turned. Rick put her down."

"I'm so sorry Daryl." She whispered. Hot tears leaked from her eyes and down her cheeks.

"I gave Carol hope and then she saw her baby girl as one of them things and had to watch a bullet being put in her head. It ain't right that someone would have to go through that."

"No," Amelia whispered, "It isn't right."

"Anyway, I failed her and she should hate me – but she don't. She thinks she owes me something." he pulled her even tighter against him and rested his face against her throat, feeling the strong, steady beat of her pulse against his mouth.

"That's why she's so good with Ellie." Amelia whispered.

Daryl nodded, "Ellie's been real good for Carol. She needs Carol and Carol needs her."

"I thought you needed her too." Amelia said, "You're different with her."

"Until you, she was the closest thing I had to a friend here. That's why I went to her when I was mad. " He lifted his head and stared at her, "After that Walker nearly got her, she spent most of the evening babblin' at me that I needed to go to you, that life was short and we needed to spend it bein' as happy as we could. I couldn't leave her though. I owed it to her to stay. Do ya understand?"

Amelia cupped his face in her hands, "Of course I understand. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you earlier; I was just so sure that you loved her and if you realized I knew, you would leave me."

Daryl grasped the back of her neck and pulled her face towards his, "I don't and I wouldn't." he whispered before kissing her. She kissed him back, sliding her tongue into his mouth and stroking his. He cupped one full breast and gently teased the nipple until she moaned. She could feel his erection pushing against her bottom and she traced one hand down his chest and across his abdomen.

He pulled his mouth from hers and rasped into her ear, "I'm moving my stuff in this afternoon."

She nodded as he placed a soft kiss behind her earlobe and then nibbled his way down his throat. "I'd like that." She gasped.

He kissed the tip of her nose, "Yer water's ready."

She glanced behind her to see the four buckets of water starting to bubble. "You should join me." She grinned at him.

He shook his head, "There's barely enough water fer one person."

She kissed his jaw and reached down to squeeze the bulge at the front of his pants, "We'll just have to be creative that's all."

He growled and was lifting her up to carry her to the bed when a knock at the door interrupted them.

"It's all clear." Rick spoke through the door.

"Thanks Rick." Amelia called out; they could hear his footsteps thudding down the porch stairs. She wiggled free of Daryl's grasp. "We need to let him know you and T-Dog are safe."

"He knows. They saw us coming through last night. Him and Frank kept a light burning at the blind; actually helped us find the camp."

He brushed past her and began to lug the buckets to the bathroom; she trailed after him. "Daryl, what happened yesterday?"

He shrugged, "A herd of Walkers came up on us. Luckily we heard them before they saw us." He paused as he was pouring the water into the tub. "We climbed into the trees, never thought I'd see T-Dog move that fast."

He grinned a little, "He's pretty nimble for a big guy."

Amelia didn't return his smile, "You got lucky Daryl."

He finished pouring the water and turned to her, "You call being stuck in a tree for close to 10 hours while twenty Walkers stand there just starin' into space lucky? They chose a hell of a time to take a little break from their hike."

"Yes, I do call it lucky. With that many Walkers, there's no way you and T-Dog could have killed them all." She frowned.

He pulled at the hair on his chin, "They was pretty slow; the cold does slow 'em down some."

"How did you escape?"

"Just before it was gonna get dark, a damn deer wandered by. The Walkers went chasin' after it." He shook his head, "It was a scrawny little thing but it would have fed us for a few days. Instead it became Walker bait. What a waste."

"It wasn't a waste. That scrawny deer saved your ass Daryl Dixon." She poked him in the chest and he pulled her against him.

"After that, we had a decision to make. Do we try and spend the night where we were or head back to camp. T-Dog was adamant that we try and get back."

He grinned at her, "At the time, I thought he didn't want to have to cuddle with me in some tree just to stay warm enough to survive the night."

Despite herself, she giggled a little at the thought of Daryl and T-Dog snuggled up against each other in a tree.

"Turns out, he was anxious to get home fer the same reason I was." He trailed a path of kisses across her collarbone, "He wanted to get home to his woman."

She unbuttoned his jeans and he gently tugged the shirt from her body. "I think we have time for a quick bath," he whispered, "before we join the others for breakfast."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"Ya ain't goin' Amelia, and that's final!" Daryl huffed at her.

"Like hell I'm not going Dixon."

"Rick, tell her she ain't goin'!"

Rick held his hands up, "If she wants to go I'm not stopping her Daryl. It's her choice."

Daryl glared furiously at Rick and then at Amelia before raking his hands through his hair in frustration. "Amelia, it's too dangerous. Ya could get hurt or – your shoulder, it's not healed enough! You'll just slow us down." he grasped on to this thought with a look of triumph.

She snorted, "My shoulder is just fine. I can keep up and you know it."

He glanced around the main lodge, looking for help in persuading her but no one said anything. "Please, Amelia I'm askin' ya, for me, not to go."

She shook her head, "Don't pull that shit on me Daryl. I'm going, there's stuff the women need and I'm the best one to get it."

With a loud grunt of anger, Daryl pushed past her and stormed out of the main lodge. Amelia watched him go and then turned back to the others, "What time do we leave?"

Rick stared at her carefully, "Are you sure you want to go Amelia? You can just give Glen or me a list and we'll get it for you. Or Melissa will grab the stuff."

Amelia shook her head, "It'll be faster if I go with you. I can pick up the toiletries and other stuff while you, Glen and Daryl scavenge for food. Melissa is going to be busy getting any medical supplies we can find. You know it's the right thing for me to come along."

He pursed his lips, "And your shoulder? We can't have you slowing us down."

"It's fine – trust me. It's been three weeks; the wound is completed healed over and I've been doing the exercises Hershel told me to do. It's not a hundred percent obviously, but it'll be fine for this trip." Amelia replied.

"Alright, it's settled then. Me, Daryl, Glen, Melissa and Amelia leave tomorrow at first light to try and pick up enough supplies to get us through the winter." Rick glanced around the group, his gaze settling on Lori.

Amelia watched as Lori just stared at him tight-lipped before turning away. Rick sighed and walked towards her. He placed a gentle hand on her thin shoulder but she jerked her body away from him. Rick glanced around, saw Amelia watching them and flushed a little.

Amelia looked away. In the week since Daryl had moved in with her he had told her the details of what had happened to the group before she had met them. Maggie and Carol had filled in any missing gaps. She glanced back at Lori and Rick and frowned a little. At least now she knew why, despite being married to him, Lori was cold and distant with Rick. From what Daryl, Maggie and Carol had told her, the death of Shane had brought a lot of tension to not only Rick and Lori's relationship but the relationship between Rick and the others.

"He's a changed man." Daryl had told her as they lay in bed one night, "He's harder now. He used to believe that we could still make the world a good place; he don't believe that now."

She looked up as Lori's angry voice filled the living room, "Just go Rick. Go, like you always do. I don't even care anymore."

Lori stalked out of the room and into the kitchen; Carol hurried after her.

"Amelia?" Beth's soft voice came from behind her and she turned to smile at the young woman.

"I need some more underwear and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind – that is, I don't want to ask Rick or Glen and –" she stopped, blushing a little.

Amelia smiled at her, "Give me a list of what you need and your sizes honey and I'll do my best."

Beth nodded in gratitude and Amelia watched with some amusement as she scurried to the craft cupboard in the corner of the room for paper and pen.

"Redneck! Hey - redneck!"

Daryl looked up to see Michael striding across the clearing towards the porch of his and Amelia's small cabin. He stood up from the wicker chair he was sitting in and leaned against the railing not letting any of the tension he felt, show in his face or body. He glanced at the main lodge. Amelia was still in there talking with the others and based on the look on Michael's face, he hoped she stayed there. Whatever was about to happen wasn't something she needed to witness.

"What do ya want Mikey?" Daryl gave him a small, tight grin.

Michael flushed at the nickname but ignored it. "Glen just told me you're letting Amelia go on the town run tomorrow."

Daryl scratched at the stubble on his throat, "That's right."

"Are you crazy?" the big man hissed at him. He rested one foot on the bottom step of the porch and glared at Daryl. "She's not well enough to go on this kind of trip."

"That ain't your decision to make now is it Mikey?" Daryl wasn't about to tell him that he agreed one hundred percent with him.

Michael gritted his teeth, "You need to convince her that she shouldn't go. Do you hear me?"

"Ya know Amelia as well as I do; once she makes up her mind there ain't no stoppin' her." Daryl scoffed.

"If you're not going to convince her, then I will."

"She don't belong to you Michael. You'd be wise to remember that." Daryl snarled suddenly.

"You think she belongs to you?" Michael glared at him. "You think that just because you're playing house together that you know her? Understand her? Can keep her safe?"

He rolled his hands into fists and took another step up the porch, "I've known Amelia a hell of a lot longer than you Daryl and I'll kill you before I let you hurt her. You get it you stupid redneck? "

"She's mine. Do ya get _that_ Mikey? You best be stayin' away from her." Daryl gripped the porch railing so tightly, his knuckles turned white.

"And if I don't? What are you going to do about that?" Michael asked softly.

"Stop it - both of you." Amelia's soft voice interrupted them. Michael whirled around and at her look of reproach, had the grace to flush with embarrassment.

"Let's get something straight shall we?" Amelia spoke quietly but she was glaring daggers at both men.

"I don't belong to either of you. Do both of you get _that_? Neither of you have the right to tell me what to do. When it comes to my life I make the decisions. Get it?"

She stared furiously at both of them, "And another thing. I've had it up to here with the macho bullshit between the two of you. Both of you need to quit that shit right now or I swear to God, I will kick both your asses so hard you'll be tasting my shoe for a week."

At their silence, she nodded, "I'll assume your silence means you get it."

Without another word she brushed past Michael and entered the cabin, shutting the door firmly behind her.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Amelia sighed and stared at herself in the small bathroom mirror. She had finished her bath, brushed her teeth, braided her damp hair into a French braid and finished her nightly shoulder exercises. There was nothing else to keep her in the bathroom.

Although Daryl had apologized for his behaviour earlier, she was dreading the argument she was certain they would have about the supply run. Steeling herself, she blew out the candle and left the small bathroom. Daryl was already in bed, lying on his back with his arms tucked under the pillow. She pulled his t-shirt off and slipped into the bed beside him, kissed him lightly on the mouth and blew the candle out. She curled up against him, wrapping her arm around his trim waist and resting her head on his shoulder. Normally he would fold his arms around her or rub her back, but tonight he kept his arms tucked under his pillow and stared up into the darkness.

"I don't want you goin' tomorrow."

She sighed and propped herself up on one elbow, "I know you don't." She didn't know how to tell him that the main reason she wanted to go was because the last time he left her she thought she would never see him again. She couldn't stand the thought of just waiting at the camp, hoping and praying he would come back to her. It was better if she went with him; she wouldn't worry so much. She knew how it would make her look if she told him that – clingy and weak – and so she simply leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his chest. "I want to do this. I need to be useful to the group - to help out."

"You do help out!" he fretted, "You help with the women stuff and you do your fair share of watches."

"I don't want to fight about this Daryl."

"We ain't fightin'; we're discussin' it like two rational adults."

"If we keep talking about it, it's going to become a fight – you know it will." Amelia pointed out.

Without warning, Daryl sat up and flipped her on to her back. He flung one leg over her hips, pinning her to the bed, and cupped her face with one hard hand. "I'm going to ask you one more time to stay here – where it's safe."

"I'm safest with you." She whispered.

"You drive me crazy." He muttered.

"I know, you've mentioned that a few times." Amelia smiled at him.

"Ya need to be careful, real careful. Do ya understand me? You keep your head up and yer eyes open all the time." He stared at her.

"I'll be careful Daryl." She reassured him.

She leaned up and kissed him thoroughly on the mouth, smiling to herself when she felt him stirring against her hip. "We need to get up early tomorrow." She murmured against his lips.

"Yeah." He whispered. He moved his leg off of her hip and she tried to hide her disappointment, but then he pushed his leg between her thighs, parting them roughly. He slipped his hand into her panties and pressed his hand between her legs, his fingers stroking the soft curls there and she gasped a little.

"We should probably go to sleep." He murmured before capturing one nipple between his lips. He rolled it between his teeth, tugging and nipping lightly on it as she moaned and gripped his head with her hands.

Daryl's hands and mouth were driving her crazy but before he could move his body between her legs, she pushed him onto his back and straddled him, pinning his arms above his head and smiling down at him.

"You're a bad influence on me Daryl." She grinned saucily at him before leaning down and kissing him lightly on the mouth. When he pushed his tongue into her mouth, she sucked on it until he was groaning and rocking his hips against hers.

He pulled his hands free and tugged at the waistband of her panties. She grinned and slapped his hands away. "So impatient tonight Mr. Dixon."

He ran his fingers up and down her ribs making her squirm against him. He started to sit up but she pushed him back on to the bed. She winked at him before leaning over and taking one flat nipple into her mouth. He inhaled sharply as she licked and kissed her way across his chest and down his abdomen. She wiggled her way down his body until she was straddling his knees and licked a small circle around his navel. He shivered when she blew lightly on his wet skin and then moaned as she kissed her way down the path of hair below his navel.

She paused for a moment. He could feel her warm breath on his skin and she smiled up at him, "Ready?"

He didn't answer, just stared hungrily at her, his eyes dark and his nostrils flaring. With another slow smile, she dipped her head and took him into her mouth. At the feel of her warm mouth and wet tongue, he jerked his hips and cried out.

"Oh Jesus." He moaned as Amelia slid her mouth up and down his cock. When she swirled her tongue around the tip and gripped him tightly around the base of his cock with her hand he gasped loudly and pushed his hips off the bed. She sucked hard for a few moments as he moaned and panted before she released him with one final lick.

"You taste so good Daryl." She murmured.

She bent her head to take him into her mouth again but he sat up and pulled her upright, kissing her hard on the mouth. "Enough – I want to be in ya."

She gave a small shriek of surprise when he rose to his knees and pushed her on to her back. He pulled her panties off with barely hidden impatience and then turned to the bedside table, grabbing a condom and putting it on roughly before turning back to her. He seized her calves and yanked her towards him, pulling her legs apart and resting his shaft against her opening. He ran his hands down her legs and brought one towards his mouth, placing soft, gentle kisses on her ankle and the back of her calf. She shivered and moaned as he rested her feet on his shoulders, grabbed her thighs and slowly eased his cock into her. She was warm and wet and they made mutual sounds of pleasure as he sunk fully into her.

Holding her legs he began a steady rhythm of sliding in and out, liking the soft moan she made each time he entered her. Their bodies fit together so well, Amelia thought hazily as she rocked her hips against his. He pulled her closer, cupping her bottom and tilting her hips upwards and the slight change in position made her gasp and sink her fingers into the sheets. Heat was growing in her belly and she panted and moaned as he held her steady and thrust harder.

"Daryl," she whispered and he dropped her legs and pushed his body against hers. He kissed her deeply as she wound her fingers into his hair and hooked her legs around his hips. He continued to move in her with long, hard strokes and she wrapped her arms around him, crushing him against her as her orgasm flooded through her, leaving her warm and trembling and weak. With a loud cry he arched his back, the cords in his neck standing out, as he came.

He collapsed against her, burying his face in her neck, as she gently rubbed his back. He stirred against her and she tightened her arms and legs around him, "No, don't move - not yet." She whispered.

"I'm too heavy for you." he breathed against her throat.

She shook her head, "No, you're not."

They stayed that way, Amelia stroking his back, feeling his warm breath on her throat, until their breathing had returned to normal and only then did she release him. She shivered a little when the cool air hit her naked body and he quickly moved her under the covers. He pulled off the condom, disposing it in the waste basket beside the bed and then pulled her back against him, cupping her breast and pushing his thigh between hers.

Amelia smiled to herself. For someone who never showed affection in public, Daryl was surprisingly cuddly when they were alone. He often pulled her onto his lap to sit when they were in the cabin, brushed against her or kissed her throat or mouth when they passed each other, and spent the nights wrapped around her like a vine. At first, not used to the extra warmth or the constant feel of a body against hers while she slept, Amelia had wiggled away each night after he fell asleep - she slept better if she had some space to herself. After a few nights she realized it was pointless. It didn't matter how far she slid away or how many times she let her elbows and knees poke him, he always ended up moving in his sleep until she was enfolded in his embrace again. Eventually she had given up, settling for sleeping with just the sheet on her body and doing her best to get used to Daryl's body draped over hers.

"G'night Amelia." Daryl murmured sleepily.

"Good night." She replied. He was snoring within minutes and only then did she whisper softly, "I love you."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Ya think it'll be enough to get us through the winter?" Daryl asked Rick as he carefully piled a case of dry noodles into the back of the truck with the other food supplies they had managed to scavenge.

Rick shrugged, "It'll have to be. This is the closest town to the camp; going any further would be too dangerous and a waste of fuel."

He looked up as Melissa approached carrying a large box of what looked like gauze and medical tape. "Do you have more stuff Melissa?"

She nodded. "Just a few more boxes."

"Daryl, I'll help Melissa; you keep watch." Rick said.

Before Rick and Melissa could leave, Glen popped his head around the front of the truck; he was carrying a large garbage bag stuffed full of what Daryl assumed was clothes. He was alone and Daryl scowled at the young man, "Where's Amelia?"

Glen tipped his head towards the right, "She's still gathering clothes."

"Dammit Glen! I told ya to stay with her." Daryl picked up his crossbow and started in the direction Glen had indicated.

"It's fine; I'm right here." Amelia called softly.

Daryl sighed with relief as Amelia walked out of the store across the street, dragging her own garbage bag behind her.

"I found you a sweater; it'll keep you warm for when you're hunting." She smiled at him as he started towards her.

She walked in front of a large courier truck, "Of course, it's bright pink but I'm sure you'll look dashing in it and –"

Daryl watched in horror as a Walker stumbled out from behind the truck and grabbed Amelia by her long braid. It yanked her into its arms and battened onto her neck like a vampire. Amelia screamed as the Walker tore through the delicate skin of her throat and her jugular burst, bathing her in blood. The blood sprayed from her like a fountain, raining droplets of bright red liquid onto her face and the Walker's as it chewed hungrily at her throat. She clawed weakly with one hand at the Walker's shirt before rolling her eyes towards Daryl.

Vaguely, he was aware of Melissa screaming and Rick rushing past him but he could only stand frozen, staring into her hellishly aware eyes as her life drained out of her.

She reached towards him; he could see her lips mouthing his name and he dropped to his knees, a low moan starting in his chest. He drew a deep, hitching breath and then screamed - a wounded sound of desperation and grief. He could feel a buzzing, feverish madness starting in his brain as Amelia collapsed to the ground pulling the Walker with her and he screamed hoarsely again, the sound echoing in the stillness. Although some dim part of him knew he would draw more Walkers towards them with the noise, he didn't care. As Amelia died in front of him, he screamed and screamed and –

Daryl woke with a start, afraid for one horrifying moment that he had been screaming in his sleep. Amelia slept on beside him and although he could feel her warm body against his in the bed, he could barely convince himself that this was reality and her death was the nightmare. He was panting and sweating but he felt chilled to the bone and with a long, shuddering sigh he buried his face into the back of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. She muttered something unintelligible in her sleep before sighing and curling up even tighter into herself.

He molded himself to her body, stroking her side, her arm, any part of her that he could reach, while he shivered and tried to calm himself down. Still mostly asleep, Amelia rolled over to face him. She must have sensed something was wrong because although she tended to move away in her sleep and became restless if he slept too closely, this time she didn't pull away. She threw one lean, pale thigh over his waist and shifted until her entire body was pressed up against his. She stroked his back with her warm hand as she pushed her face into his chest.

"Okay baby?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Yeah." He rasped out.

"Good." She muttered something else that he couldn't understand before slipping deeper into sleep again. Daryl rested his face against the top of her head, feeling the silky strands of her hair against his cheek. It was still dark, he figured there was another couple of hours until dawn, but he was wide awake and there wasn't a chance in hell he would fall asleep again.

He tried to relax by concentrating on his breathing, purposely making it slow and deep, but it took nearly half an hour before the rapid beating of his heart slowed and he felt like himself again. The nightmare had been bad, even more terrible than the ones he'd had as a child about his old man, but what was worse was his reaction upon waking. He was afraid. Afraid for Amelia and afraid for himself – that he might lose her. If she died, he would go mad. The truth of that, the knowledge that if she died he would be lost without her, weighed heavily on him. He shivered again. He had always preferred the darkness to the light but now, lying in the bed feeling alone and afraid, he clung to Amelia like she was a talisman against the darkness and waited for the light.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

As T-Dog picked Melissa up and planted a loud kiss on her lips, Amelia stared worriedly at Daryl. He looked tired and drawn with bags under his eyes. She had questioned him as they were getting dressed this morning but he had merely shrugged and said he hadn't slept well. She didn't believe him. He had been even quieter than he normally was, and she was still trying to wrap her head around his unusual request earlier. She had been carefully re-braiding her hair, ignoring the dull ache it caused in her shoulder, and in an odd voice he had asked if she would consider cutting her hair.

Mid-braid she had gaped at him. "Cut my hair? Why?" Up until that moment, he had seemed to like her long hair. He would often wrap it around his fingers when they were in bed, or tug gently on it to get her attention. Hell, he had brushed it for her plenty of times when her shoulder was healing and had even mentioned once, in a gruff voice, that her hair was pretty.

He had shrugged, "I dunno. Just seems that with it long like that there's a chance you could get caught up in somethin' or," he had paused, his eyes flickering with some emotion she couldn't read, "somethin' could grab a hold of it."

"Well," she considered her words carefully, "I'll think about cutting it Daryl, but I do prefer it long." He had just grunted in reply and, to mollify him, she had wound the thick braid around her head and secured it firmly to her scalp with bobby pins.

Now standing outside by the truck, she squeezed his hand briefly and asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded, eyes narrowing as Michael approached her.

"Amelia, I wish you would stay here. I'll go in your place – just give me the list." He pleaded.

She shook her head firmly, "No Michael. I'm going."

"Then at least promise me that you'll stay alert and stick close to the others." He took her hand, linking their fingers together.

"I promise. Stop worrying, I'll be fine."

He glanced at Daryl, "Take care of her out there. If anything happens to her, I'm blaming you. You understand?"

Amelia pulled her hand free, "Stop it Michael." She warned. She risked a glance at Daryl, certain he was about to explode on Michael but he was still strangely quiet.

He bit the side of his thumb and then held his hand out to her, "C'mon, it's time to go."

She took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the truck. She hopped in the back seat, sitting in the middle next to Glen who had already finished his goodbyes with Maggie. She waved to Ellie and Carol as Daryl climbed in beside her. She watched as Rick knelt on the ground and hugged Carl to him. Lori was standing off to the side and as Rick stood and ruffled Carl's hair he reached out to her. She stepped back, folding her arms across her torso, her face a blank slate. Even from a distance, Amelia could see the hurt in Rick's face but he simply turned and walked away as T-Dog followed Melissa to the truck. He lifted the small redhead up and into the truck, shutting the door carefully, and then leaned in through the open window.

"Be careful Mel." He planted another kiss on her mouth and she smiled and rubbed his bald head.

"I'll be back before you know it." She gave him one last lingering kiss as Rick climbed into the truck and started the engine.

"Glen, you sure there's a town here?" Rick squinted through the windshield as he drove carefully down the gravel road.

Glen consulted the map he was holding, "It says there is. It's on the map, a place called Waterton." He glanced out the window, "We should be coming up on it anytime now."

"Considerin' we're way out in the fuckin' boonies, it'll probably be nothin' more than a bar and a goddamn gas station." Daryl said.

"Look, the brochure at the camp indicated it was the closest town to Pinewoods Lodge and had a grocery store, pharmacy and some kind of department store." Glen responded hotly. "You said you wanted something close."

"It's fine Glen. I'm sure it'll have what we're looking for." Rick spoke quietly.

Amelia patted Glen's arm comfortingly as Rick drove up a small hill. He stepped on the brakes at the top and they all stared out the windshield at the small town in the valley below them. It really was more a village than a town, comprised of a smattering of larger buildings on one main street, with small clusters of houses built around it. Still, on the biggest building, Amelia could clearly make out the large sign that boasted, in oversized letters, locally grown fruits and vegetables and a variety of wild game for sale in the autumn months. It was definitely a grocery store and she gave a sigh of relief. Even if they couldn't find more clothes, they at least had a chance of stocking up on some dry goods. If, that was, it hadn't been picked clean by now.

After about 10 minutes of driving, the small group found themselves in the middle of the village. Rick parked the truck on the street in front of the grocery store and they peered out the windows. The place seemed abandoned like every other town but it also appeared strangely unaffected by the events of the end of the world. None of the stores had been boarded up and there were very few cars on the street. Amelia twisted in her seat and stared out the back window. Next door to the grocery store was a pharmacy, and three doors down from that was a medium-sized department store. The bright green awning over the doors had "Vern's" etched onto it in simplistic black lettering.

Across the street, "Ruby's Restaurant" was nestled between a tiny second-hand bookstore called "Second Look Books" and an insurance office. The shades were completely drawn on the windows of the restaurant but its sandwich board, the writing on it faded by the sun, still sat on the sidewalk next to the front door.

The street was utterly deserted. No dead humans or animals littered the road and there were no Walkers roaming aimlessly.

"Am I the only one who finds this seriously spooky?" Melissa asked.

Glen swallowed, "Nope, you're not the only one." He peered around him, "Um guys, I know this is stupid, but uh, where are all the dead people?"

Rick, his hand on the butt of his gun, opened his door, "We've seen this before Glen. Those buildings could be teeming with Walkers. Keep your guard up and watch each other's backs."

The group disembarked from the truck and gathered silently in front of it. "Okay, listen up." Rick spoke in a quiet little mutter, "Amelia and Melissa you go to the pharmacy and see what you can find there. Glen and Daryl, you hit the grocery store. I'll stay out here for now and keep watch."

"Rick, we need more clothes." Amelia said softly. "We need to check out the department store as well. Maybe Melissa and I should do that first."

"No." Daryl spoke up. He had paled visibly when Amelia had mentioned the department store and she glanced at him curiously. "I'll go with ya to get clothes; Melissa and Glen can start in the grocery store. We won't be long gatherin' clothes."

Rick nodded. "Fine. Remember if you do see a Walker - we want close, quiet kills." He glanced at Glen and Melissa who were both carrying guns, "Don't use your gun unless you have to."

Amelia gripped the handle of the knife that was in a holder attached to her belt. Its smooth heaviness comforted her and she gave Daryl a reassuring smile. He gave her a brief, grim smile in return and then shocked her by leaning in and placing a quick peck on her lips. It was the most affection he had ever shown in front of the others and Amelia could feel herself blushing a little, despite the chasteness of the kiss.

"Remember," he spoke anxiously, "Stick close to me. Don't do nothin' stupid. If ya see a Walker, ya get yer ass hid right away – I'll take care of killin' it."

"Stop worrying Daryl. I'll be fine." She ran her hand over his forehead, trying to smooth away the worry lines, before following him into the department store.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Rick stacked the boxes of dry goods in the back of a truck in a neat and orderly fashion. He stopped for a moment and stared around the street, watching for signs of Walkers. Everything was still and quiet and he bent and began to arrange the boxes again.

Daryl and Amelia had raided the department store and had come out with not only clothes, but fishing gear, knives and 4 hunting rifles.

"Any sign of Walkers?" Rick had asked when they came out the first time, arms loaded with clothes.

Daryl had dumped the clothes into the back of a truck in an untidy heap, "Two in the store. I took them down easily." He had taken the coats Amelia was carrying and tossed them into the truck while she stacked the three boxes of boots she was carrying under the coats into the truck bed.

"It's weird." Amelia had said thoughtfully, "The store has been barely raided. There's a ton of stuff left."

Rick had shrugged, "It's a small town set in the middle of nowhere; plenty of people living here might have just taken off or," his eyes darkened, "if the infected had overrun the living fast enough – there wouldn't have been anyone left to raid."

It had taken three trips before Daryl and Amelia were finished in the store. After they had finished, Amelia had asked Daryl to go with her into the bookstore and within 15 minutes they had loaded the truck with stacks of books and magazines. It had taken some persuading, but Amelia had convinced Daryl to let her help Melissa in the pharmacy while he finished helping Glen in the grocery store. Just like the department store, it had been left largely untouched and Glen and Melissa had discovered only three Walkers roaming the aisles.

Rick jumped out of the truck bed and walked back to the front, leaning against the grill. He could just see Melissa and Amelia through the front window of the pharmacy, gathering objects from the aisles. They had already carried out one large box filled with toiletries as well as feminine products and boxes of condoms. He had raised one eyebrow at the large number of condoms they had gathered making Melissa blush and Amelia grin and wink at him.

They were making a second round of the pharmacy picking up medical supplies and, Melissa had informed him with barely suppressed glee, practically any type of medicine they needed. There were large quantities of antibiotics and pain relief medication as well as other stronger narcotics.

Rick rubbed one tired hand across his cheek and took another look around the abandoned street. His gaze fell on Ruby's Restaurant and he peered at the sandwich board. It was hard to tell with the lettering faded the way it was, but it seemed that Ruby's laid claim to the best tasting beef brisket in the valley.

The shade in the front window of the restaurant twitched slightly and while Rick just turned his head to stare back into the pharmacy his heartbeat sped up and his limbs started to tingle with adrenaline. After a few seconds, he looked casually around before ambling across the street towards the restaurant. The shade had only moved a little but he had seen enough to know it wasn't a Walker who was watching him.

Hannah stumbled away from the front window of the restaurant. Her head ached and she could feel the fever heating her cheeks, making her feel weak and disoriented. She had been standing at the window of the restaurant for over an hour, waiting and hoping that the heavily armed people would finish and leave. She had tried to avoid looking out the window too often but her worry for Ethan and Isaac had outweighed her desire to stay hidden and every 15 minutes or so she would shift the blind and glance cautiously outside.

She cursed herself for the hundredth time for leaving Ethan and Isaac alone in the pharmacy. The two women had been in and out of the pharmacy and the men must have hidden themselves in the back storage room. She shouldn't have left but the fever was growing, the infection feeding into her veins, and the hot stale air of the pharmacy was making her feel like vomiting. She had stood outside breathing deeply of the cold, fresh air, hands holding her side where it throbbed and burned. She had no idea why she had suddenly felt the need to enter the small, dusty restaurant but she had found herself opening the door and peering cautiously into the dim light of the restaurant. Maybe it was the fever making her crazy, or maybe, for just one minute, she had wanted to pretend that things were normal again. That she could walk into a restaurant and sit down and order a nice cold drink without worrying about the dead trying to eat her. Either way, she had barely shut the door of the restaurant when the truck full of strangers had pulled into the street, trapping her.

On her last peek out the window, the man leaning against the truck had been looking directly at the restaurant. She had gasped with surprise and let the shade fall, praying that he hadn't seen it move. After a few seconds, she had leaned forward, wincing at the pain in her side and risked another glance out the window. To her horror, the man was walking across the street, headed straight for the door of the restaurant.

Now, she glanced around frantically, looking for a hiding spot. The fever was making her slow, she could barely think past the constant dull ache in her head and the burning throb in her side. Slowly, feeling like she was moving underwater, she headed for the back of the restaurant to the door of the kitchen. She stumbled and fell against one of the tables, knocking a chair over and sending a fresh burst of pain through her side. Gasping, trying not to cry she forced herself to hobble faster towards the swinging door. As the doorknob of the front door turned, she pushed open the kitchen door and stared straight into a nightmare. A dead man, dressed in kitchen whites, stood motionless just beyond the door. He looked at her, his eyes gray and dead, the flesh of his face rotting and smelling of bad meat, and opened his mouth in a silent gape of hunger. He lunged forward, a moan starting in his chest and she skittered backwards, tripping over her own feet and falling to the floor, hitting her head on the worn linoleum with a loud, painful thud.

Stars burst in her vision as she scuttled backwards on her butt, trying to get away from the creature in front of her. The dead man followed her, his moans of hunger growing louder. He fell to his knees and clutched her foot with one pale hand. She opened her mouth to scream but the fall had knocked the air from her lungs and all that came out was a quiet, wheezing moan. She kicked her feet frantically at the dead man but it crawled up her jean-clad legs, hands reaching for the bare skin of her arms as he leaned in to bite and feed.

Before it could bite into her wrist, a handle of a hunting knife was jutting out of the side of his head. Hannah stared in shock as the hand holding the knife, twisted and the dead man collapsed on her. Before she could panic, the body was pushed off of hers and she was yanked to her feet.

She swayed forward, the ground rocking beneath her feet, but the man held her firmly by the upper arms.

"Ma'am, are you hurt?"

Hannah tried to concentrate; his voice seemed to be coming from a great distance and her head, in fact her whole body, felt like it was on fire. She took a couple of deep breaths to clear her head and squinted at the man in front of her. He was tall with broad shoulders and thick dark hair. The lower half of his face was covered by a thick beard and he had, Hannah decided fuzzily, an extremely gorgeous set of lips. She ran one shaking thumb over his mouth. He started and pulled back a little.

"Lady, are you hurt?" he repeated himself.

His voice was lovely, warm and deep with a southern twang. She leaned in closer to him and gave him what she hoped was an engaging smile. "I'm good. You saved me."

"Yes ma'am." He glanced around searching for other dead people, but Hannah kept her eyes glued to his face.

"Did you see any other Walkers in the kitchen?" When she didn't respond, he shook her a little bit. "Lady, did you see any other Walkers?"

"It's Hannah," she whispered, "Is that what you call them? Walkers?" For some reason, the nickname amused her and she giggled.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Hannah, are you drunk?"

She smiled up at him, "Of course not. I'm just feeling… happy. I almost died and then I didn't. You rescued me." Before he could stop her she wrapped her arms around his neck and standing on her tiptoes, planted her lips on his. He gasped into her mouth and she took the opportunity to slide her tongue between his lips and into his warm mouth. He put his hands on her hips and pushed her gently away, pulling his mouth from hers, but she held his head tightly and shoved her small body against him eagerly, panting softly against his lips. To her delight he groaned, his fingers tightening on her hips, and angled his mouth back over hers. He kissed her hungrily, his tongue pushing into her mouth, sliding along her teeth before tangling with her tongue. She knotted her fingers into his hair and he moved one hand around her body and gripped her ass. She moaned into his mouth, her skin was flushed with more than just the fever now, and she clutched his head, feeling the heat of his body and the bulge of his erection against her abdomen.

With a loud groan he pulled his mouth from hers and she moaned in frustration. She could hardly breathe, her head was swimming, and her skin was so hot she wanted to peel off all of her clothes. With a frown he reached out and placed one hand on her forehead, pulling it away after only a few seconds.

"You're burning up. You're sick."

She nodded, "I have an infection, I think."

"Jesus!" he shoved her away from him so quickly that she staggered and fell against the table behind her. She flinched and grabbed her side.

"You've been bit." He pointed a gun at her.

She shook her head, trying to think clearly. She was in pain, hot and thirsty, and weirdly horny. Despite the fact that he was pointing a gun at her, she very much wanted to jump the tall drink of water standing in front of her and have her way with him.

She raised the hand not holding her side and slapped herself hard across the face. He watched as she did it again and then a third time. The fog in her head cleared a bit and she took a deep breath. "I haven't been bitten – I swear. It's just a cut from a wire fence."

"Show me." He didn't lower his weapon.

She pulled her t-shirt up, showing him the cut on her right side, just below her rib cage. He sucked in his breath at the sight of the swollen red wound. It was oozing a yellowish coloured fluid and he could see the red lines indicating a blood infection spreading out from the cut.

"How do I know that isn't a scratch from a Walker?" he said tersely.

"It isn't. I was crawling through a wire fence and got sliced open. If it had been a – "she swallowed, "a Walker, I would have killed myself long before this."

Rick holstered his gun and frowned at the pale, sweating woman in front of him. "You need antibiotics."

She nodded, "Yeah, that's why I'm here. "

"C'mon, let's get to the – " he stopped as Glen's yell pierced the quietness.

"Rick! Where are you? Get out here now!"

It was followed by Daryl's voice shouting obscenities. Rick pulled his gun and then grabbed Hannah's wrist, jerking her from the table and dragging her after him as he ran for the door of the restaurant.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"Melissa, are you almost finished?" Amelia called softly to the redhead. She was holding a blue basket full of various medications and she was anxious to get back to Daryl. She could see him through the window of the pharmacy, carrying packages of toilet paper to the truck.

"Yes, I just want to check and see what else is back here." Melissa's voice was muffled. "There's a door, I think it must lead to – "

Melissa gasped loudly and Amelia dropped the basket she was carrying and ran for the back of the pharmacy, pulling her knife free from her belt.

"Close, quiet kills." She thought frantically as she pushed through the half-door separating the pharmacy lab from the rest of the store and ran towards the back. She skidded to a stop when she saw the two men standing behind Melissa. One of them was holding Melissa against his body; he had pulled the gun from the holster on her belt and was pointing it at her head. He pushed the muzzle into Melissa's temple when he saw Amelia.

"Drop your knife lady, or I swear I'll kill her." The man was young, barely out of his teens and clearly scared to death.

Amelia held her hands up, "Just calm down. No one needs to get hurt. We're just here to pick up some supplies; let her go and we'll go our separate ways. "

"I said - drop the fucking knife!" he screamed at her in a hoarse whisper.

Amelia did as he asked, dropping the knife and keeping her hands where he could see them.

"Kick it over here." The other man demanded; he was older, his face marred by a long twisting scar down his right cheek.

Amelia kicked the knife to him; he bent and picked it up, tucking it into his own belt, and then walked towards her. He held a crowbar in one hand and Amelia made no protest when he grabbed her roughly by one arm and spun her towards the door.

"Walk. Let's go – straight ahead." Still holding her arm, he pushed her towards the front of the pharmacy; the younger man followed them, prodding Melissa with the gun to get her moving.

"I heard you talking." He said to Melissa, "You're a doctor, ain't ya?"

"I'm a nurse." Melissa responded. They were approaching the spot where Amelia had dropped the basket of medications and he stopped in front of it.

"I need something that's good for infections. And I need pain relief – something strong. Not just that Tylenol shit." He pointed to the basket, "Pick me out the right stuff."

Amelia watched as Melissa squatted by the basket, "What kind of infection is it?"

"I don't know! Just an infection! Jesus – just give me an antibiotic." The young man was sweating through his shirt and he wiped his arm nervously across his forehead.

Amelia glanced up at the man holding her arm. "He's frightened and he's going to get us all killed." She said softly. "You need to make him calm down."

The older man gazed at her, "She's right Isaac. You need to relax. We'll get the stuff and get out of here."

Melissa rifled through the basket and pulled out a bottle of pills. "This is Cefalexin. It's good for a wide variety of infections." She pulled out another bottle, "This is Oxycontin. Be careful with it; it's powerful and addictive."

Isaac pulled her to her feet. He opened the messenger bag he was carrying around his chest and stuffed the bottle of pills into them. Amelia could see gauze and tape as well as a large bottle of Tylenol in the bottom of the bag.

"C'mon, let's go." The man holding her arm pulled her towards the front door. Amelia could feel her heart racing; Daryl and Glen and Rick would be by the truck waiting for them and she shuddered to think what would happen when they saw the two men.

Holding her in front of him, the man shoved the door open and pushed her out into the sunlight. She blinked a little, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the light as Isaac exited the pharmacy with Melissa in front of him.

"Ya ready to go?" Daryl turned from where he was standing by the truck, his eyes widened and he reached for his crossbow as Glen screamed for Rick. Daryl shouted a string of obscenities and started running towards Amelia as Rick burst out of the restaurant dragging a small, blonde woman after him.

"Daryl wait!" he shouted.

"Let her go you son of a bitch!" he shouted at the man holding Amelia hostage. The man pulled Amelia's knife from his belt and held it against her throat. She could feel his body thrumming and shaking behind her and she put her hands up.

"Daryl, stop!" she pleaded.

He stopped as Glen and Rick, still holding the small woman firmly by one arm, caught up to them.

They stared silently at each other before Rick stepped forward. "We're not asking for trouble. We just needed some supplies. He was holding his gun but he kept it pointed towards the ground. "There are three of us and only two of you – the wisest idea would be for you to drop your weapons and walk away."

The man standing behind Amelia spoke quietly, "We have your women."

Rick pulled the blonde in front of him and pointed the gun at her side. "And we have yours." Amelia watched as the woman groaned softly and leaned back against Rick, her head lolling against his chest. She was obviously sick; her face was pale and waxy and despite the cold air, she had nearly sweated through the thin t-shirt she was wearing.

She glanced at Daryl; he was pointing the crossbow at the man holding her and the look on his face reminded her of the look of a trapped animal – wild and desperate. He looked briefly at her and she tried to smile reassuringly, mouthing the words "I'm okay." at him. He didn't seem to even register it, his eyes shifting back to the man who held her captive, the desperate wounded look never leaving his face.

"Here's what we're going to do." Rick spoke in a calm and soothing voice. "We're going to make a trade - our women for yours." He glanced down at the woman leaning on him, "She needs antibiotics; you can take what you need. There's plenty for all of us."

"You're not in charge here!" Isaac shouted nervously. He pushed Melissa forward, still holding the gun to her head. "We're going to leave and we're taking these two with us."

"Isaac – have you lost your mind?" the man behind Amelia stared in shock.

"She's a nurse Ethan!" Isaac hissed at him. "She can help us. She's got medical experience!"

"Are you forgetting about Hannah?" Ethan snarled.

Hannah peered at Isaac but didn't raise her head from Rick's chest, "Isaac – you can't leave me. Please." She said in a husky whisper.

"I'm sorry Hannah." He gave her a pleading look, "But we need to get back to Sara. And this woman, she can help her."

She didn't reply and Isaac turned to Ethan, "C'mon. Let's go."

"No Isaac!" Ethan shook his head, "We're not taking these women with us and we're not leaving Hannah."

"If we don't, they'll kill us and Jacob will be alone. Is that what you want Ethan?" the younger man stared wildly at him.

"Fuck!" Ethan cursed loudly, making Amelia jump and wince as the knife dug into her side. Daryl darted forward and the scarred man pulled Amelia even closer, making a warning noise in the back of his throat.

Daryl stopped, nostrils flaring, as Ethan followed Isaac who was walking backwards and using Melissa as a shield, across the street towards a small red car. He climbed into the car with Melissa in tow as Ethan stopped at their truck and quickly punctured a front tire with Amelia's knife. He yanked the knife free as Rick, Daryl and Glen followed them.

"Please Ethan." Hannah cried weakly. "Don't leave me."

"I'm sorry Hannah." Ethan swallowed as he tucked his large frame into the car, pulling Amelia in after him. Isaac gunned the engine and drove down the street. Within minutes the small car had disappeared over the hill leading into the town.

Rick turned to Daryl. His face was ashen and he was staring blankly down the street, the crossbow held loosely at his side.

"Daryl, grab the spare for the truck and start changing that fucking tire – right now. Glen, go into the pharmacy and grab the supplies." He turned Hannah around roughly, she cried out in pain, and shook her. "Wake up! Hey – wake up!"

He slapped her lightly on the face but it was useless. With a small shuddering sigh, Hannah collapsed against him, her face relaxing as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Rick cursed and lifted her small body until he was cradling her in his arms, "Daryl, open the truck door and help me get her into the back seat."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Leave the bitch behind. In fact, why don't I just kill her now – she's obviously been bit." Daryl snarled bitterly. He could hardly think straight; his brain was screaming at him to find Amelia and when the car had disappeared over the hill, for a moment he thought he was going to either pass out or throw up. He had never felt such blind panic and fear before and he thought he might go crazy from it.

"We need her!" Rick glared at him. "By the time we get this tire changed, those idiots will be long gone. We need this one to tell us where they are." As Glen came running out of the pharmacy, carrying the basket Amelia had dropped, Rick shifted the woman against his chest and said, "She hasn't been bitten, she's been cut and has a raging infection from it. We're taking her back to the camp Daryl and you'd better pray like hell that she lives. She's our best chance of finding Amelia and Melissa."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"Was Sara bit?" Amelia asked. "If she has been, no antibiotics will help her."

"We know that." Ethan glared at her, "She hasn't been bitten. She has a cut on her leg from a wire fence."

Amelia folded her hands in her lap as Isaac drove to the end of the gravel road and took a right on to the highway. It was in the opposite direction of their camp and her heart sunk. She had hoped they might be driving the in the same direction and Daryl and the others would have a chance to catch up to them.

She had a sudden thought, one that filled her with dread for Daryl, and she stared wildly at Ethan, "The woman that was with you? She was sick. Was _she_ bit?"

Ethan shook his head, "No, cut by the same wire fence."

Melissa frowned from the front seat, "You people need to be more careful."

Isaac scowled, "We were being chased by Freaks alright? A cut from a wire fence was nothing compared to what was coming up behind us."

"So why are you willing to let Hannah die but not Sara?" Amelia asked.

"We ain't willin' to let Hannah die!" Isaac shouted. The car weaved on the road as he stared at her through the rear view mirror. "It's just – she wasn't as sick as Sara and –"

"She seemed pretty sick to me." Amelia interrupted. "She could barely stand and I could feel the heat coming off her from where I was standing."

"She knows how important Sara is and besides, your people will help her." Isaac gripped the steering wheel.

"Maybe - maybe not. You did kidnap us at gunpoint and I'm pretty sure that's not going to leave our friends in a generous state of mind towards one of your people. For all you know, they could have left her on the street to die."

"Shut up you stupid bitch!" Isaac shouted, making Melissa flinch beside him.

"Enough! Both of you!" Ethan rumbled. He rubbed at the scar on his cheek. "Isaac just get us back to camp quickly and you," he stared at Amelia, "keep your mouth shut."

Amelia put her arm around Melissa's shoulders and stared cautiously around the camp. They had driven for only half an hour before Isaac had pulled into a rest stop that was similar to the one she had stayed at with Daryl and Ellie. He had pulled the car right up to the edge of the tree line and with Ethan's help had spread a large camouflaged canvas over it. Without speaking, they had guided Amelia and Melissa deep into the woods. After about 20 minutes of walking they had reached their camp – a collection of tents set up among the trees.

"Daddy!" a small boy, no older than Ellie, came hurtling out of one of the tents and flung himself into Ethan's arms.

"Hey Jacob." Ethan scooped the boy up into his arms and kissed his cheek tenderly. "Did you miss me?"

The little boy giggled and nodded as Ethan pulled a candy from his pocket and showed it to him. "Told you I'd bring you back a treat, didn't I?"

"Well lookie here; which one of you jackasses thought it would be a good idea to bring back more mouths to feed huh?" A loud voice spoke behind them in an exaggerated drawl.

Amelia and Melissa both turned towards the voice. A large man, with short cropped hair and a broad nose, was walking towards them. He was wearing a leather vest over a long-sleeved shirt and where the hand on his right arm should have been, there was only a cloth-covered stump.

Amelia stared at him in shock. It had to be Daryl's brother Merle. It was too big of a coincidence not to be. The man stopped in front of them, and grinned. It was a cold grin; there was something mean and distasteful about it and Amelia saw none of the warmth of Daryl's smile in it.

"Well, ain't you two of the prettiest little bitches I ever saw." Merle reached out and tugged on a piece of Melissa's red hair. He eyed her up and down critically, "Yer a bit bigger than ol' Merle normally likes but that red hair makes up for it." He reached to touch her hair again and Amelia slapped his arm away.

"Don't you fucking touch her." She spat at him.

"My, my, we got ourselves a little wildcat here don't we?" Merle smiled but his eyes remained cold and hard. "I normally prefer blondes, but I'd make an exception for you and your," he eyed her chest, "fine tits."

"No thanks." Amelia stared pointedly at his missing hand, "I like my men whole. Who knows what else you're missing."

He stepped forward and grabbed her arm with his hard hand. He squeezed, pinching the back of her arm viciously, obviously trying to make her cry out, but he was holding her numb arm and Amelia felt nothing more than a slight pressure.

She stared into his eyes, a small smile on her lips, and jeered, "Is that the best you can do big boy?"

He released her arm and then suddenly slapped her hard across the mouth. Amelia fell to the ground as Ethan and another short, heavy-set man barreled forward and shoved Merle away.

"What the fuck Merle?" Ethan shouted. "Knock that shit off right now or I swear to God I'll kick your redneck ass out of this camp."

"Yeah, yeah." Merle put his hand up and backed away a few steps. "You just make sure that she don't smart mouth me again. Ain't nobody talk to Merle that way."

Ethan turned back to Amelia who was sitting on the ground, wiping the blood off her mouth. Melissa was crouched beside her, one arm around her shoulders.

He held his hand out to her and after a moments consideration she took his offered hand and allowed him to pull her off the ground. "I'm sorry." He muttered.

She nodded as the heavy-set man approached them. "This is Ryan." Ethan introduced. The man held out his hand and Amelia and then Melissa shook it. More people were approaching them now, leaving the tents to gather around the two women.

"This is my wife Irene." Ryan had a high somewhat squeaky voice. He put his arm around a short, rotund, dark-haired woman, "And these are our two boys, Jeremy and Scott." The boys were mid-to-late teens, both short and dark-haired like their parents but lean with skin tanned from the sun.

"Where's Hannah?" Irene asked suddenly. She looked at Isaac, who rubbed his hands nervously on his pants.

"We had some trouble." He muttered.

"Oh no - is she dead?" Irene covered her mouth as Ryan squeezed her tightly against him.

"No!" Isaac looked at Ethan desperately. "We ran into another group and they – they gave us some trouble. They have Hannah. They were going to kill us so we had to take their women."

"Bullshit!" Amelia spoke harshly, "That isn't what happened and you know it." She turned to the others in the group, even Merle had wandered closer.

"Old Isaac here took Melissa and me hostage. Our friends were willing to trade Hannah for us and everyone would walk away. Isaac panicked and refused."

"Isaac – why would you do that?" a young woman with gorgeous mocha-coloured skin, moaned.

"Because - because they probably would have killed us and Hannah too." Isaac protested frantically. "And that one's a nurse!" he pointed to Melissa, "I thought she could help Sara." He looked at Ethan, "Tell 'em Ethan. Tell 'em what happened."

Ethan shook his head, "What does it matter? What's done is done. We need to try and save Sara now."

"What about Hannah?" Jeremy piped up. "What if their group hurts her or kills her or…?" He trailed off, his young face miserable.

"They're not going to hurt her." Melissa spoke firmly. "Our people are good people. You don't have to worry about Hannah."

"If she dies, it'll be because of that infection not because of anything our people do to her." Amelia chimed in.

Melissa turned to Ethan, "Take us to Sara. I'll see what I can do for her."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Daryl jumped out of the truck the minute Rick pulled into the clearing in front of the main lodge. He was starting towards the cabin he shared with Amelia when Michael came storming out of the lodge followed closely by T-Dog.

"Where is she?" he bellowed, "Where is she you goddamn redneck? Did you get her killed?" Without waiting for a reply, he punched Daryl in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Rick, carrying Hannah in his arms, shouted, "Michael! Enough!"

Michael stalked toward Rick. "What the hell happened?"

Before Rick could reply, Daryl hit Michael with a flying tackle and sent him face first into the ground. Michael, coughing and choking on the dirt, was flipped over and Daryl was kneeling on his chest before he knew what had happened. With an angry roar, Daryl punched him repeatedly in the face. Blood flew from Michael's mouth and nose. He struggled violently and then went limp as Daryl caught him with a particularly vicious blow to the side of his head.

Rick, cursing, dumped Hannah into T-Dog's arms and ran to the two men. He pulled Daryl off of Michael, pinning the struggling, panting man to the ground.

"I said enough!" he growled at Daryl. "We do not have time for this shit. Do you want to save her or not?"

"Get off me!" Daryl shoved Rick to the side and stood up. He stared at Michael who was kneeling on the ground spitting out blood and dirt and snarled, "Touch me again and I'll kill you."

He stormed to his cabin, slamming the door behind him as the others filed out of the lodge.

"Rick, is Melissa dead?" T-Dog's face was a pasty grey and he nearly shoved Hannah back into Rick's arms.

"No she isn't and either is Amelia. Get the others and meet me in Melissa's cabin. I'll explain everything Tell Hershel we're going to need him again." He shifted Hannah in his arms and carried her to Melissa's cabin.

"How are you feeling?" the short haired woman sitting in a chair by the bed smiled kindly at Hannah.

"Better. How long have I – " Hannah stopped as an older man with white hair entered the bedroom.

"It's been three days. You're a lucky young woman." He stared gravely at her. Another day without antibiotics and you would have been dead."

"My name is Carol and this is Hershel."

"I'm Hannah."

"We know. Rick told us." Carol smiled at her.

"Rick?" Hannah asked as Hershel took her pulse.

"He's the one that found you in the restaurant." Carol replied. "You don't remember?"

Hannah closed her eyes and concentrated, "Tall with a beard?"

Carol smiled, "That's right."

A memory, hazy and vague, of a deep voice and warm mouth tugged at Hannah's subconscious. She frowned, trying to remember, but before it could become clear, Hershel spoke, "Hannah, I want to take a look at your side okay?"

She nodded and peered interestedly at her side as Hershel lifted her t-shirt and peeled back the white bandage. She was shocked by how good it looked. The last time she had seen it, the wound had been oozing, swollen, bright red and so painful she couldn't touch it. Now only three days later, the flesh around the cut was a normal pale colour and the cut itself had been sewn shut with neat black stitches.

"It's healing nicely." Hershel announced. He felt her forehead, "And your fever is gone." He pushed gently on the skin around the cut. "Does that hurt?"

"A little bit but nothing like before."

"Good." Hershel placed a clean bandage over the cut and placed some tape around the edges of the bandage. "We'll remove the stitches in about 7 days. You'll have to keep taking the antibiotics for at least another 10 days. The infection was pretty severe; we don't want it coming back."

He stood as Hannah pulled her t-shirt down and Carol rearranged the sheets, tucking them around her.

"Do you think you could eat something?" she asked.

Hannah nodded, "That would be nice. Thank you."

Carol walked towards the bedroom door, "Hershel, could you…?"

Hershel nodded, "I'll stay with her while you grab some food."

As Carol left the room, Hannah smiled at Hershel. "I don't need a babysitter."

When he didn't reply, just stared at her thoughtfully, the truth hit Hannah like a brick, "You're afraid I'll run off aren't you?"

Hershel shrugged, "I'll let Rick speak to you about that."

Carol was heating up some canned soup when Rick walked into the kitchen. "She's awake?"

Carol nodded. "Yes."

"You didn't leave her alone did you?" Rick asked anxiously.

"No. Hershel stayed with – " she stopped, as Hershel entered the kitchen.

"I thought you were with Hannah?" Carol's brow knitted together as Hershel helped himself to a glass of water.

"I was. Daryl stopped by, said he would watch her for a spell."

"You left her with Daryl?" Rick cursed and ran from the kitchen as Hershel and Carol stared after him.

Hannah slid back into the bed with a sigh. Hershel had helped her to the bathroom, she was dismayed at how weak and unsteady she was, and given her a new toothbrush and a washcloth. She had used the bathroom, having an indoor toilet after months of going in the outdoors was a tiny taste of heaven to her, and then brushed her teeth and quickly washed up. The water was cold but refreshing. Her side ached a little but she discovered that it was more itchy than painful and she scratched gently at the bandage-covered cut. "Excuse me Hershel?" Hannah called out. She shifted in the bed, "Could I trouble you for a glass of water?"

A shadow fell across the door and the smile on her face faltered when a man entered the bedroom. He was lean, with tanned skin and haunted eyes. He approached the bed, staring grimly at her and she squirmed back against the headboard when he sat down on the bed beside her. There was a crossbow slung across his shoulder but it was the knife, shiny and wickedly sharp, he carried in his right hand that had her attention riveted.

He stared at her silently, his slow, steady breathing the only sound in the room. Unable to stand the quiet tension any longer, Hannah gave him a weak smile, "Hello – I'm Hannah."

His eyes flickered, but he didn't respond. Instead, he looked down at the knife in his hand and held it up to her eye level. Hannah swallowed, the blade glinted in the pale sunlight coming through the small window of the room, and she watched mesmerized as he turned the knife back and forth.

"Yer gonna tell me where she is." His voice was a low growl.

"I'm s-sorry?" Hannah stuttered. She couldn't stop staring at the blade of the knife, imagining how easily it would slide through her flesh.

"Amelia. Yer gonna show me where yer asshole friends took her." He raised his eyes from the knife and looked at her, eyes narrowing, before leaning forward. Hannah let out a frightened squeak as he placed both hands on either side of her and put his face inches from hers. She could feel the heavy handle of the knife digging into her hip and she tried not to flinch.

"I don't know who Amelia is." She whispered.

"Don't lie to me." He spoke quietly. "Yer gonna get yer ass out of that bed and we're gonna go for a drive." He leaned back and stared down at her body disinterestedly. "Get dressed. We're leavin'."


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"Good morning Sara." Amelia ducked into the tent and zipped it behind her. It was cold, she could see her breath hanging in the air and she shook out the blanket folded at the foot of the narrow cot and tucked it around the old woman.

"Hello Amelia." Sara smiled at her and wormed one hand free of the blankets to clasp Amelia's. "You're so kind to look after an old woman."

Amelia stroked Sara's hand gently. Her hand was worn and soft with thick blue veins crisscrossing under the thin skin.

"It's my pleasure Sara. I'm very happy you're feeling better." Amelia glanced around the tent, noticing the tiny treasures scattered through it. There was a small collection of rocks that Jacob had deemed cool and brought to her; a small framed photo of a much younger Sara being hugged by a tall, thin man, her husband undoubtedly; and a variety of books. The love and respect the entire group had for the old woman was undeniable, even Merle was polite to her, and Amelia figured it had taken maybe a day for her and Melissa to feel for Sara the same way the rest of the group did. Hell, 6 hours was probably more accurate.

"You look tired dear." Sara stared anxiously at her.

"I'm fine, just missing my bed." Amelia replied. Missing her bed wasn't entirely correct; what she really missed was a certain redneck's warm body. Although she couldn't believe how quickly she had grown used to having him in her bed she was not surprised that without him, the nightmares, which had all but disappeared, were back with a vengeance.

Amelia smiled at the old woman. She guessed Sara had to be at least 78 years old, maybe older. Her wispy, white hair was pulled into a loose bun and clear blue eyes peered from a face lined with remarkably few wrinkles and age spots. A lifetime of wearing a hat Sara had told her, giggling like a young girl when Amelia had complimented her on her skin. She moved with a dignified grace and even with an infected leg, and being forced to use a walking stick that Ethan had fashioned for her from a tree branch, she was surprisingly agile.

The others were extremely protective of her and Amelia had finally understood Isaac's terror about losing Sara. It had been him who had pulled her forcefully over the fence the group had been climbing. He had saved her from the Walkers but the deep cut on her leg had slowly become infected. Out of desperation Isaac, Ethan and the woman Hannah, also suffering from an infection, had set out from the camp looking for medication and by sheer luck had stumbled on to the small town.

As Melissa entered the tent, Amelia patted Sara's hand once more and then started to push the blankets back covering Sara's leg.

"Hello Melissa." Sara said cheerfully.

"Hi Sara, how's your leg feeling this morning?"

"Good. I reckon I'll be up and moving around without that damn stick in no time."

Melissa laughed and examined the leg carefully, poking and prodding as the still-swollen skin. The cut was short but extremely deep and Melissa had confided to Amelia that had it not been for the large amount of pus that needed to drain from the wound, she would have attempted to sew it up. Each day, they had carefully soaked off the scab and squeezed more pus and other purulent material from the wound. Thanks to the Oxycontin, it was only mildly painful for Sara.

Fifteen minutes later, Melissa washed her hands in the small bucket of clean water next to the bed and smiled at Sara. "It's looking better every day Sara. There was hardly anything to squeeze out this morning."

"That's so nice dear." Sara replied, "You're such a good girl. Perhaps I could take a walk around the camp tonight then?"

Melissa laughed, "Flattery will get you everywhere honey but I'm afraid you're not quite ready yet to move around. You'll need to stay quiet for at least another day or two."

Isaac's voice called anxiously through the tent, "Can I come in now?"

Amelia unzipped the tent and stood aside as Isaac came in and went straight to Sara. He laid his head on her shoulder and she patted his cheek with her soft hands. "Hello Isaac dear."

"What can I get you Sara? Are you hungry? Do you need something to drink?" he stared anxiously at her.

"No dear, I'm good. Maybe you could sit and read to me for a while; I'd like that."

"Of course." Isaac grabbed a book from the top of the stack and sat cross-legged on the ground beside Sara's cot. He started to read to her in his clear, strong voice as Amelia and Melissa tidied up and left the old woman's tent.

With a small gesture of her head, Melissa indicated to Amelia to follow her into the tent Ethan had set up for them. She closed and zipped the tent and sat down on the sleeping bag. "Sara's doing better."

Amelia nodded, "I'm glad."

"Me too – she's a lovely lady." Melissa toyed with the zipper on her sleeping bag, "We need to get back to our group Amelia. And not just because I miss T-Dog – although I do." She flushed prettily.

"I know." Amelia murmured.

"It's just that this group – they're not, I mean, I don't even know how they've survived this long. They have hardly any weapons and they just –" Melissa shrugged, "seem completely naïve about how bad it can be you know? If even a small herd of Walkers were to come through here, we're all dead. They don't even seem worried that our people might come after them."

Amelia sighed. Melissa was right. Other than Merle, the entire group seemed almost clueless about the danger they were in. And the problem with Merle was that he didn't give a shit about anyone other than himself. Amelia was certain that at the first sign of trouble, he would haul ass out of the camp without looking back.

"Daryl and T-Dog will come for us." Amelia said.

"Yes," Melissa paused, "if that woman Hannah survived. If she didn't, they have no idea how to find us. You know that Amelia. "

"They have antibiotics and Hannah was younger than Sara. Plus Isaac said Hannah wasn't as sick as Sara. If Sara pulled through, it's likely that Hannah did too."

"What if she won't tell them where we are?" Melissa frowned.

"Why wouldn't she? I'm sure she's just as anxious to get back to her group as we are to get back to ours."

"That's the other thing – suppose Hannah did live and suppose she told them where this camp is. What if they come in here guns blazing? I know they kidnapped us but – " Melissa shrugged helplessly, "with the exception of Merle, I like these people. I don't want to see them get hurt. And no offense but Daryl is, well, a bit of a hothead. The look on his face when they took you – there was murder in his eyes."

Amelia gaped at her, "He might be a hothead Melissa, but he's not going to kill anyone."

Melissa stared at her carefully, "Are you sure Amelia? Are you absolutely positive that he wouldn't hurt or kill someone to keep you safe?"

Amelia nodded firmly, "I'm sure." She glanced around uneasily for a moment. She hadn't confided in Melissa that Merle was Daryl's brother nor had she told Merle that she knew Daryl. Since the first day at the camp she had done everything in her power to avoid Merle. There was none of Daryl's goodness in Merle, she was sure of it. They were brothers but it didn't mean that Daryl was like Merle. She shivered a little and told herself again that Daryl wouldn't kill someone just because they had taken her from him.

"Are you sure? How well do you know him? He grew up with Merle; you can't possibly believe being around Merle's poison didn't affect him." a small voice whispered in her head but she shut it down immediately.

Melissa was staring at her anxiously and Amelia smiled at her with a confidence she didn't feel, "We'll give it another couple of days Melissa. If our group doesn't show up, we'll get Ethan to drive us back to that town and we'll boost a car and get back to T-Dog and Daryl."

"Do you think Ethan will do that for us?"

Amelia nodded. "I do. He seems like a good man; he reminds me of Rick." If they went back to the group on their own, she would tell Daryl that she had found Merle and let him decide what he wanted to do.

She sat down beside the small redhead and put her arm around her shoulder, "Right now, the main thing we need to worry about is a Walker attack. We need to stay aware and try to convince these people to have someone on watch all the time, not just during the night." She shook her head. "They don't have any clue how lucky they've been."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Rick ran through the door of the small bedroom. Daryl was sitting on the side of the bed, his large frame towering over Hannah's and she was staring at him with round, frightened eyes. Her terrified gaze shifted to Rick and Daryl glanced over his shoulder.

"Walk away Daryl." Rick said quietly.

"You gonna make me Rick?"

"If I have to." Rick rested one hand lightly on the butt of his gun.

As Daryl stood up and faced Rick, Hannah moved to the far side of the bed and slid off of it. Feeling a little nauseous, she scurried to Rick, holding one hand to her side. A wave of light-headedness washed over her and she stumbled into him. Being careful not to touch her side, he put his arm around her and propped her up against him.

"I told you we would find her and we will. You need to be patient." Rick shifted Hannah slightly and stared at Daryl.

"It's been 3 days. She's awake now – she can tell us where to go." Daryl took a step forward and although Hannah could feel Rick tensing against her, he didn't back away. She slipped her arm around his waist and clung lightly to him, shaking with fear and cold.

"I was just coming to ask her about her group Daryl – only I find you in here scaring the living daylights out of her."

Daryl shrugged. "Just lookin' for information."

Rick, "And I'll get that information from her; just give it some time."

Daryl scowled at him. "We don't have time; who knows what her people are doin' to Amelia and Melissa."

Hannah spoke, she was still trembling like a leaf against Rick but her voice was steady enough, "They're not doing anything to them. They wouldn't hurt them." She paused, "And of course I'll tell you where they are. Promise me that you won't hurt anyone from my group and I'll take you there myself."

"Let's go then." Daryl pointed to the door behind them.

Rick stared down at Hannah; she was pale and shaking and looked like she was about to throw up. "Not today Daryl – it's too late in the day.

Daryl swore loudly and Hannah jerked in fear, crying out a little as the stitches pulled at her flesh.

"Tomorrow Daryl - we'll leave first light." Rick promised. "We'll find Amelia and Melissa and bring them back."

With a snort of derision, Daryl shoved the knife into his belt and stalked towards them. Hannah cringed against Rick as he drew closer but Daryl just stared at her, "You best pray she ain't hurt. You hear me?"

"Daryl, go back to the lodge. I'll be there in a minute." Rick said firmly.

As Daryl left the small cabin, Hannah felt Rick relax a little. She heaved a sigh of relief and leaned on him limply. He stared down at her, "Do you remember what happened?"

She nodded, "Starting to. There's quite a bit that's still missing I think. I remember feeling really hot and tired." She frowned, "I remember standing in the street and Isaac and Ethan leaving me to die."

She glanced up at him, "Thank you for not leaving me there by the way."

He didn't reply and she gave him a tentative smile. His eyes were a light green, clouded with some emotion she didn't understand, and he had nice lips, she thought vaguely. They looked – she swallowed hard as the memory of kissing those lips pushed through the fog in her brain. She stared up at him, her eyes very large and very blue in the dim light of the room. His arm was still curved high around her body and she could feel the weight of his hand against the side of her breast.

When his gaze dropped to her mouth, she flushed and looked down in confusion. She realized she was wearing only a t-shirt and a pair of panties and that, combined with the memory of kissing him earlier, brought an even deeper blush to her face.

She risked another glance up at him. He was still staring silently at her, but now the look in his eyes was one she understood clearly. The look heated her skin until the blush in her face spread through her entire body, making her skin tingle and her breathing quicken. When his gaze shifted to her small breasts, her nipples clearly visible against the thin t-shirt, she felt, more than heard, his breath hitching in his throat.

He wanted her; Hannah could almost feel the desire radiating from his body. Earlier she had kissed him because of the fever. Now, she was intensely aware of just how attractive he was and her desire to kiss him at this moment had nothing to do with her brain overheating. After what happened to Natalie, Hannah had vowed to make every moment count and so, throwing caution to the wind, she ran a slightly shaking hand across his stomach. He shuddered and she could feel his abdominal muscles tighten through the soft material of his shirt. His hand pressed into the side of her breast almost painfully and she stepped in front of him, wrapping her other arm around him and linking her hands together behind his neck. She pressed her body against him, stretching up to place a soft kiss on his throat. He groaned and raised one hand to cup her neck under her hair. His other hand gripped the back of her knee and he pulled her leg up until it was against his hip and her body was flush against his. He was rock hard already and he used his thigh to push on her other leg, forcing her to widen her stance so he could settle his body between her legs. He was at least half a foot taller than her and he pressed that hardness almost frantically against her belly. With a growl of frustration he moved his hand from its spot on her knee to the back of her thigh, hauling her upwards until just the tips of her toes dragged on the floor and his pelvis was resting directly against her warm core. He made a choked sound of desire and gently tugged her head back, dipping his head towards hers. He paused, she could feel his warm breath on her mouth, and she moaned encouragingly before tracing his full bottom lip with her tongue. Without warning he let go of her and abruptly pushed her away, breathing harshly through his nose. Unprepared for the sudden rejection, she stumbled and almost fell but he grabbed her wrist and kept her upright. She stared at his hand with dismay, noticing for the first time the simple silver band on his ring finger.

"I'm sorry. You should get dressed. Carol will be here with some food and then we'll talk about tomorrow." He released her wrist and left the room without looking at her.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

"Would you like more to eat?" the young blonde girl sitting next to her, Hannah thought her name was Beth, held out the bowl of canned corn to her.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm stuffed." Hannah smiled hesitantly at her. Truthfully, the tension in the room had robbed her entirely of her appetite and she had done little more than push the food around her plate. In particular, the waves of anger radiating from Daryl had her stomach in knots and she found her gaze drifting back to him time and time again. From the look of his plate he hadn't eaten much of anything either and on the few occasions where their gazes had met she had quickly looked down at the table in front of her.

She glanced surreptitiously at Rick. To her dismay, Carol had sat her directly across from Rick and his wife Lori. She was a tall, willowy brunette who had greeted her politely enough before dinner and introduced her to their son Carl. Hannah's stomach had dropped to somewhere around her ankles but she smiled gamely and shook both Carl and Lori's hands. Now, watching Rick and Lori across the table, it was obvious even to her that there was a distance and anger between them. They hadn't spoken a single word to each other through the entire dinner and when Rick had touched her hand passing a bowl to her, Lori had pulled her hand away as if he had burned her. Hannah wondered briefly if Rick had already confessed to his wife what had happened with her but based on Lori's polite, disinterest in her, she suspected that whatever was going on between them had happened long before she came along.

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" a large black man, he was sporting bruises on his face, a fading black eye and a split lip, broke the silence.

"What do you mean _we_?" Daryl glared at him.

"Michael, I think it's best if just T-Dog, Daryl and I go with Hannah tomorrow." Rick put his fork down and leaned back in his chair, placing his arm along the back of Carl's chair.

"I disagree. I think the more men we take the better." Michael glanced around the table, his gaze falling on Hannah.

"We don't want to spook them." Rick spoke firmly. "All we're doing is taking Hannah to them and bringing Amelia and Melissa back to us. The less people we have showing up at their camp, the better chance they'll understand we're not asking for trouble."

"Michael could go instead of you." Lori pointed out with a bitter tone.

"They already know me; they're less likely to panic if it's someone they recognize." Rick said quietly.

"Of course, I forgot – always the hero right Rick? Always making the decisions based on what _you_ think is right." Lori stood up from the table and stalked to the kitchen.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Michael leaned forward and stared intently at Rick, "For all you know, they could be waiting for you in an ambush. Hell, they could have killed Amelia and Melissa by now, or dumped them in the middle of a Walker infestation."

"Shut the hell up Michael." T-Dog stood and slammed his large hands on the table.

"We have to be realistic," Michael spoke in a low, angry tone. "There are a lot of dangerous people out there and –"

"You would know, wouldn't ya Mikey?" Daryl said softly.

"Just what the hell does that mean redneck?" Michael turned his furious gaze to Daryl. "I'm tired of you insinuating that I – "

"Your friends are fine." Hannah cleared her throat loudly and stared nervously around the table. "My friends aren't dangerous or crazy; they're just people. They're frightened and worried and are trying to take care of each other. They won't have harmed Amelia or Melissa; please trust me on this."

"These the same friends who abandoned ya in the street to die?" Daryl raised his eyebrows at her.

She flushed and although she had said the same thing earlier to Rick, she rushed to their defense, "They were panicking. Isaac is young and impulsive and he cares deeply about Sara. I understand why they left me."

She blew her breath out softly. She was acutely aware of Rick's gaze on her face but she avoided looking at him. "I'll take you there tomorrow and you'll see – they'll be perfectly fine."

Hannah paced through the small cabin. After dinner Rick and Carl had escorted her back to the cabin. There had been some discussion after dinner about who would stay with her but Hannah had balked at having a babysitter. She had argued successfully that she wasn't stupid enough to leave in the middle of the night and that she was just as anxious to get back to her group as they were to get rid of her and they had finally relented, allowing her to retire to the cabin alone.

"Don't leave the camp Hannah." Rick had reminded her firmly as she stepped into the cabin.

"I won't."

"Good night Hannah." Carl said.

She smiled at the young boy, "Good night Carl."

Not used to the cook stove she had piled too much wood into it and now the cabin was stiflingly hot. She was restless and unsettled and decided to step outside on to the small porch. The cool night air felt wonderful on her sweaty skin and she breathed deeply, fanning herself with the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing.

It was a clear night and she wandered down to the far end of the porch and leaned out over the railing, staring up at the stars. She felt a moment of homesickness for the others at her camp. They would be sitting around a campfire right now, sharing stories and talking about the past. She wondered how Sara was doing; she felt a twinge of panic in her belly at the thought that the old woman might have succumbed to her infection. She hoped desperately that Sara had – a hard hand clamped down on her mouth and she was pulled away from the railing. She screamed against the hand and twisted and squirmed frantically as she was yanked backwards. A nightmarish vision of Natalie's sweet face disappearing beneath a pile of Walkers rose in her mind and her blood ran cold as a muscular arm swept around her waist.

"Hannah stop, it's just me." A familiar voice hissed in her ear and she collapsed against him, panting harshly.

He turned her around and she stared up at Rick, her panic replaced by blind fury. "You scared the shit out of me Rick!" she slammed her hand into his chest, ignoring the feel of the rough hair under her palm, and stared furiously at him.

Without speaking, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her back to the open door of the cabin, thrusting her inside forcibly and shutting the door behind them. She stared at him; his long sleeved shirt was only buttoned halfway, there was a radio clipped to his belt, and his boots were unlaced.

"Were you trying to give me a heart attack?" she stared crankily at him and placed a hand on the cut on her side. Hershel had instructed her to leave the bandage off at night and now it was burning and throbbing from her struggle on the porch.

"I told you not to go outside Hannah." He grimaced and ran a hand through his hair.

"No. You told me not to leave the camp. You certainly did not tell me I couldn't go outside." She countered.

He rolled his eyes, "I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to go out after dark."

"You didn't have to grab me, you could have just asked me to go in like a sane person would have!" she was still furious with him, for one terrifying moment she had been sure she was dead.

"I was afraid I would scare you and – "

"Oh you did a bang-up job of not scaring me." She interrupted sarcastically.

His nostrils flared and he spoke through gritted teeth, "And that you would scream, and not only scare the others but drop a bigger threat on all of our heads."

When she just stared at him, he sighed harshly, "There's a little problem we like to call Walkers. For everyone's safety we all stay indoors after dark. It seems to cut down on the deaths. Apparently you haven't experienced enough of it to be concerned."

"I've experienced it plenty you jackass." Hot tears leaked from her eyes and his expression softened.

"Look, just stay in the cabin after dark. Those are the rules."

She nodded, sniffing and wiping her nose with the heel of her hand. "How did you know I was outside?"

He pointed to the radio on his belt, "Glen and Maggie are on watch. They radioed me."

He paused and then frowned, "You're bleeding."

She looked at her side; blood was spreading through the material of her t-shirt. It was very red against the white of the shirt and she immediately started to feel woozy. The sight of her own blood had always made her feel faint and this was no exception.

"Hannah?" Rick stepped closer. "Are you okay?"

She turned and staggered towards the bathroom, "Yeah, but I'd better get a bandage back on it."

Halfway to the bathroom she made the mistake of glancing down at her side again. The patch of red had grown and she imagined she could feel the blood dripping down her skin.

"Shit." She muttered. She was feeling very faint now and the room was wavering alarmingly around her.

Before she could collapse to the floor, Rick was behind her, tucking his hands under her armpits and holding her up. "Don't pass out on me."

He half-carried, half-dragged her into the bathroom and perched her on the edge of the tub. She clung to the side of the tub and took deep breaths as he rummaged in the small cupboard above the toilet. He turned back, bandages and tape in one hand, just in time to see her staring down at the blood-soaked shirt, her face turning whiter by the second.

"Hey!" He dropped the bandages into the sink and put his hand on the back of her neck. He pushed her forward, she winced a little as the motion pulled at her side, and forced her to put her head between her knees. "Breathe deeply."

After a few moments she sat up and gave him a shaky smile. "Better." She started to glance down at her side again but Rick grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"Maybe you shouldn't look at that, what do you say?"

She nodded and he quickly lit a candle before kneeling on the floor in front of her. She stared at the top of his head as he eased her t-shirt up and held the candle close to her side. He frowned, "It looks like you've torn at least 3 of the stitches."

"Ugh." She muttered.

"It's already starting to clot but you'll have to get Hershel to re-stitch it." He let her t-shirt drop, "I'll get him now."

She shook her head, "No. You said it was starting to clot; it'll be fine until tomorrow. I'm just going to go to bed anyway and I don't move around much when I sleep. I'll have him look at it before we leave in the morning."

She stood up, "Thanks for your help. I'll just put a bandage on it and call it a day."

He climbed to his feet with a fluid grace she envied and stood in front of her. The bathroom was tiny, really only meant for one person and he was alarmingly close. He smelled faintly of soap and shampoo, he must have had a bath before bed, and his hair was still damp. She was just about eye level with his chest and she was struck by a sudden urge to run her fingers through the thick hair on his chest. She closed her eyes and clenched her hands into fists.

"I'll help you." He set the candle down on the small bathroom counter and reached for the bandages in the sink.

"Oh, um, thanks but I can manage."

He gave her a wry look, "One – it's my fault you're bleeding and two – you can't even look at your side without nearly passing out. How are you going to clean it and bandage it?"

"I wasn't planning on looking at or touching it; I'll just slap a bandage on it and let Hershel clean it in the morning."

He shook his head. "No, not with the infection your body is probably still fighting. I'll clean it quickly for you." He stared at her shirt, "Can you take your shirt off? There's quite a bit of blood on it and it'll just be in the way."

She blushed, "Yeah, um the thing is I'm not really – wearing anything under it."

When he just stared at her, she hurried on, "I was about to go to bed and so I was just..." she trailed off and then cleared her throat, "There's a top on the bed; could you grab that for me?" She breathed a sigh of relief when he turned and left the bathroom.

"Do you need help?" Rick scratched his throat nervously as he handed her the tank top.

"Definitely not." She spoke quickly, "I mean – thanks but I can manage. Just give me a second."

"I'll be right outside the door." He left the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Hannah turned her back to the door and, wincing, pulled the t-shirt up and over her head. She dropped it into the tub and reached for the tank top draped over the side of the tub. Without thinking she glanced at the bottom of the tub. It had small splashes of blood in it from when she had dropped her shirt and there was a thin pool of blood spreading underneath the t-shirt. "Jesus," she thought, her stomach rolling with nausea, "I thought it was just a few stitches. How much blood have I lost?" She stared down at the blood, _her _blood, and swallowed heavily. Maybe she should have Hershel look at it.

"Hannah?" Rick called worriedly through the door. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." She said thickly. She couldn't stop staring at the blood in the tub.

He pushed the door open and stuck his head in, "Hannah? What -" he sucked his breath in at the sight of the large tattoo on Hannah's back. It was a dragon; the skin inked in different hues of green and blue with vibrant shades of orange and red for the fire breathing from its mouth. The head was between her shoulder blades, the body covered her back and the tail curved around her left hip, disappearing beneath the waistband of her jeans.

She turned around; she had bunched the top around her so it was covering her small chest and he watched as she hunched over, eyes closed and breathed deeply. He knelt beside her again.

"You okay?"

She nodded, "Just made the mistake of looking at my shirt again." She paused and said in a small voice, "Are you sure it's stopped bleeding Rick? There's a lot of blood."

He checked the cut again, "It has. But I can get Hershel if you'd like."

She shook her head, "No. Let's just clean it and bandage it up."

Using some gauze and peroxide, Rick dabbed gently at the cut. She hissed a little as the peroxide bubbled against her flesh but made no comment. Rick frowned; he knew she was slender but seeing her now, with just some material covering her breasts, he realized he could count every one of her ribs. "When did you eat last?"

She glanced at him, confused by the question, "Dinner tonight."

"You didn't eat a single bite at dinner." He replied quietly. He dropped the bloody gauze into the tub and grabbed a clean one, dousing it in peroxide and continuing to wipe at the smears of blood on her skin.

She stared down at the floor, not understanding why the thought that he had been watching her at dinner was making her stomach flutter.

"Food was in short supply with our group. You get used to not eating much. Although," she smiled at him, "with the discovery of that small town, I think we won't have to worry about that for awhile. Unless your people cleaned it out?" she teased him gently.

He didn't respond to her teasing, "So you should have eaten tonight but you didn't."

"There was a lot of tension in the room – because of me. And I miss my friends. I didn't have much of an appetite." She said simply.

He nodded in reply and reached for a large piece of gauze, tearing the packaging open with his teeth. Hannah checked to make sure the tank top was still covering her breasts. Not, she thought wryly, that she had a lot to cover and there was even less lately, but she wasn't about to let it all hang out. Rick undoubtedly already believed she was some type of blonde harlot; she had no wish to confirm it by giving him a free show of her tits.

He placed a bandage on her side and gently stuck tape around the edges. Hannah ignored the way the touch of his fingers made her feel shivery inside.

"There. It should be good until tomorrow." He began to clean up the bits of paper and bloody gauze from the tub. As he did, he cleared his throat, "So, you don't seem much like the tattoo type to me."

She laughed a little, "I get that a lot."

He gave her a small grin, "It's an impressive tattoo."

"Thank you."

"How long did it take to do?" he asked

"Just under 7 hours." She waited for his next question, knowing what it would be.

"What made you get a dragon?" he shoved the garbage into the plastic bin under the sink and rinsed his hands in the small bucket of water sitting next to the sink before drying them on a towel.

"I was inspired by a book." She smiled at him.

She expected him to ask her what book but he just nodded and said, "I'd better go. Do you need help getting into bed?"

The last thing she wanted was to be anywhere near a bed with him. "No - I'm fine now. I'll see you in the morning.

He turned to leave, but paused when she said hesitantly, "Rick?"

He looked back at her, his hand on the doorknob. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry for – for what happened earlier." She flushed. "I didn't realize you were married. If I had known I would never have – " she paused, her cheeks so red they were nearly glowing, "I'm not the type of girl who sleeps with married men."

Now it was his turn to flush and he stared down at the floor before looking straight at her, his eyes dark and unreadable, "No, I'm sorry Hannah. You have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't have touched you like that. It's just that…" he stopped and shook his head "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry for touching you. It won't happen again."

He slipped out the door, leaving Hannah to stare miserably after him.


	46. Chapter 46

**Good morning everyone! Just a note that I have changed the rating from "T" to "M".**

**Cheers!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 46<p>

"How much further is it?" Rick's low voice murmured in her ear and Hannah shivered. They were standing in the middle of the woods; she had directed them to the rest area where they had parked the truck and now they were slowly making their way to the camp on foot.

Hannah was going slowly, not just because her side hurt where Hershel had re-stitched it this morning, but because she was also terrified of getting them lost. She had always been with someone else when moving to and from the campsite to the highway and so she was moving cautiously, searching for the landmarks she had pointed out to herself on previous trips.

"Not too much farther." She spoke quietly as Daryl and T-Dog joined them in a small circle.

"Where do yer people have their lookouts?" Daryl scanned the trees ahead of them.

She frowned, "We – we don't have lookouts - at least not during the day. We take turns at night keeping watch but nothing during the day."

"Jesus." T-Dog swore. "How in hell have you people survived this long?"

"Will they have set up people to watch for us, do you think?" Rick asked

"No, why would they?" She was starting to feel exceedingly stupid.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Rick, these people are too dumb to live."

"Shut up!" Hannah's voice was rising, "Those are my friends you're talking about and we've managed to do just fine so far."

Rick raised his hand in a calming gesture, "Okay, okay – Hannah keep it down. Just to be on the safe side, you walk in front and we'll follow behind you. If your people are keeping watch we want them to see you first."

Hannah turned and began to march forward, holding one hand to her side. She moved faster now; she was 95% sure they were on the right track and the sooner she got away from these people, the better. She was anxious to see her friends, to confirm that Sara had survived and, more importantly, stop being tempted into doing something with Rick she would regret.

She sighed with relief when she saw the large rock, its surface mostly covered with moss, jutting out of the ground to their right. She turned around, "Rick, it's straight ahead, no more than 5 minutes, we –" she was cut off by a blood curdling scream coming from somewhere ahead of them. Her face paled as the three men pushed past her and raced ahead.

"Ladies, we're going to have lunch soon." Amelia pushed her way into Sara's tent and grinned at Sara and Julie, she of the gorgeous mocha skin. Julie was sitting next to Sara's cot reading to her as Sara stared dreamily at the ceiling of the tent.

"Would you like to sit outside with us Sara or would you prefer to stay on your cot?" Amelia asked as Julie closed the book and set it aside.

"Oh, I think with the group would be nice, don't you?" Sara answered.

"It would be lovely." Amelia replied.

"Is everyone waiting for me to have lunch?" Sara asked.

"Everyone but Merle; he's off in the woods somewhere." Amelia turned to Julie. "Honey, can you help me sit Sara up please?"

"Of course!" Julie answered brightly. She stood and with Amelia's help they pulled Sara into a sitting position before gently swinging her legs over the side of the cot.

"How does that feel Sara? Okay?" Amelia gave her a concerned look.

"Just fine dear; just fine." She reached for her walking stick and held it in one hand.

"Julie, you stand on her right and I'll stand here. Sara, on the count of three we're going to lift – "

A loud scream of agony split the air. Julie stared wide-eyed and trembling at Amelia. "That sounded like Irene." She whispered.

"Stay here in the tent with Sara! Whatever you do – don't leave!" Amelia reached out and shook Julie's shoulder roughly, "Julie! Do you hear me? Stay here! Protect Sara!"

Julie nodded and Amelia turned and fled through the opening in the tent. She stumbled out on to the grass and looked around her in horror. There seemed to be Walkers everywhere. She watched in stunned silence as a third one joined the two currently ripping and chewing at Irene's stomach.

Her son Jeremy stood a few feet away, his hands clutching and yanking at his hair, a look of panic in his young eyes, "Mama?" he moaned. A Walker was coming up behind him and Amelia raced forward, knowing she wouldn't make it to him in time. There was a loud thud and the Walker behind Jeremy fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Ethan, the crowbar in one hand, stood behind it breathing heavily. Jacob was clinging to his leg, his face hidden in the folds of his father's pants.

"Behind you!" Amelia screamed. He turned and shoved the crowbar against the face of the dead woman behind him. She snarled and fell back on to the ground. Ethan beat her brains in with three heavy blows and then yanked Jacob from his leg and held him against his chest with one arm. Amelia grabbed Jeremy and turned him away from the sight of his mother being eaten by Walkers.

"We have to go." Ethan shouted.

"Go where?" Amelia shouted back. "There's no place to go! We have to fight!"

There was another shriek of horror and pain behind them. Ryan and Scott were running towards Irene and a Walker had grabbed Ryan by the arm. It bit into his hand, tearing off two of his fingers as Ryan screamed and fell to his knees. The Walker collapsed on top of him, chewing and tearing at Ryan's scalp as he beat at it with his fists. Scott turned back, his face a mask of terror, and reached for his father.

Amelia cried out as another dead man stumbled out from behind a tent and grabbed Scott by the back of the neck. Before it could bite into the young man's flesh, Melissa appeared out of nowhere. She screamed, it sounded like the cry of an angry bird, and shoved her knife deep into the back of the Walker's head. It collapsed immediately, pulling Scott down with it. Melissa, breathing heavily, yanked Scott to his feet and dragged him over to where Amelia and the others were standing.

Isaac came sprinting out of the forest; he had Melissa's gun in his hand and he waved it around wildly. He pointed the gun at the closest Walker shuffling towards him and squeezed off a round. The bullet hit it in the chest, knocking it back but it recovered quickly and growling, shambled closer. Isaac screamed and tried to shoot it again but the gun didn't fire.

Amelia cursed and ran towards Isaac, pulling her knife from her belt; she dodged the dead woman in a nurse's uniform that was reaching for her and charged the Walker reaching for Isaac. She stabbed it in the temple, the knife sliding in with a disgusting squelching noise. It fell to the ground and she ripped the knife free.

"Go – towards Ethan." She screamed at Isaac and shoved him towards Ethan.

She glanced around wildly, a few of the Walkers were hunched over eating Irene and Ryan's bodies but she counted at least another seven roaming the clearing. Four of them headed towards Ethan and the others, tripping eagerly over their feet to get to them, but as Julie stuck her head out the tent and stared in horror at the carnage, the other three moaned eagerly and headed towards her.

"Julie get back!" Amelia cried. She dashed towards Sara's tent. One of the Walker's had already reached it and she could hear Julie's terrified screams as the Walker stuck its upper body into the tent. Amelia grabbed the belt of the Walker and yanked as hard as she could. It was nothing but bones and rotting flesh and it flew back easily, knocking into her and toppling her over.

It twisted in her grasp and lunged like a wild animal for her throat. Amelia shrieked and just managed to get her hands in between them. She pushed upwards with all her strength against its thin chest. Her shoulder screamed its own song of agony but she ignored it and shoved grimly at the Walker on top of her. The fall had knocked the knife out of her hand; she could see it glinting in the sunlight to her left.

She screamed again as her arm started to shake; her shoulder was giving out on her – she wouldn't be able to hold the Walker at bay much longer. She could feel its bony fingers scraping against her stomach, pushing and tearing at the thick sweater that covered it. In another few minutes it would be through the material and she thought with terror of the story Daryl had told her about the man named Dale.

An image of Daryl flashed in her head, she was terrified of never seeing him again, and she pushed with renewed strength on the Walker. It was useless; her arms were shaking, and her shoulder wasn't strong enough to push away the monster on top of her. She was going to die.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Hannah raced after the men. She held her hand to her side as she ran, certain she had ripped open the wound again, but not caring in the least. There were more screams of terror and pain and she pushed herself to run faster.

She entered the camp and stared into a horrifying scene of chaos and death. Walkers were roaming among the camp, some of them chewing and ripping into bodies on the ground, others stumbling relentlessly towards the terrified survivors.

Vaguely she was aware of Daryl raising his crossbow, and Rick shouting at T-Dog to help the others but her gaze was drawn to Sara's tent. She panicked when she saw the two Walkers approaching the tent; she had no idea if Sara was in there or not but she ran towards it anyway, her heart thudding in her chest. She scooped up one of the large rocks that ringed their campfire and charged forward. With a thin cry she slammed the rock down on the back of the head of the Walker closest to her. It fell on to its knees and raising the rock high above her head she smashed the rock directly on to the top of its skull. The skull cracked open and gray flesh oozed out.

Panting, crying, Hannah looked up to see the other Walker bearing down on her. She staggered backwards, tripping on the legs of the dead Walker and landing on her ass. She leaped to her feet but the Walker was right there, his hands reaching for her. A loud shot rang out, making her cringe, and a large portion of the Walker's head exploded, splattering her shirt with blood and brain matter.

Amelia cried out as the Walker groaned and snapped its teeth at her. There was a thin whisper through the air and an arrow embedded itself into the head of the Walker just as her arms gave out. It collapsed on to her as shots rang out through the campsite.

"Amelia! Amelia!" She started crying when she heard Daryl's voice calling for her frantically. The Walker's body was shoved off of her and she stared into Daryl's panicked, worried face.

"Daryl?" she whispered.

He pulled her to her feet, "Honey, are you hurt? Have ya been bit?"

She shook her head as he pulled her into his arms. "Are ya sure?"

"I'm fine. I'm good." Crying and shaking she let him rain kisses onto her face.

"I love you Amelia. I love ya so much." He whispered before kissing her mouth.

"I love you too Daryl." She whispered back.

From the safety of Daryl's arms she stared around the campsite. Isaac and T-Dog were each killing a Walker, T-Dog with a bullet to the brain and Isaac with a large piece of wood. He smashed it into the head of the dead girl with a grimace of disgust on his face.

She flinched as more shots rang out; Rick was shooting the Walkers eating the bodies of Irene and Ryan and T-Dog ran over and joined him. In a matter of minutes the Walkers were dead and she heard Jeremy and Scott make mutual cries of pain when T-Dog shot both their parents in the head at point blank range.

With a small cry, Melissa ran across the campground and leaped into T-Dog's arms. He picked her up and she cupped his large face in her small hands, kissing his forehead and cheeks before planting a loud kiss on his mouth.

Amelia watched as Rick walked over to the tiny blonde woman from the town. She was staring down at herself, her shirt covered in blood and grey matter and he took her arm in his hand. Amelia's ears were ringing from the gunfire and she couldn't hear what Rick said to her, but the woman nodded. He placed a gentle hand on her side and she winced a little. She looked away as he pulled up her shirt; Amelia could see a large red stain on the bandage covering her side and Rick frowned before dropping her shirt.

"Sara? Is Sara okay?" Isaac rushed past them, his face stained with tears, and dove into the tent behind Rick and Hannah.

Julie stumbled out of the tent; she took one look at the bodies of Ryan and Irene and staggered to the side of the tent. She bent over and vomited wretchedly. Melissa wiggled free of T-Dog's grasp and ran to her, placing a soothing hand on the young woman's back.

Amelia tried to go to Jeremy and Scott, they were standing at the edge of the campground, arms around each other and their eyes full of blank dismay, but Daryl refused to let her go. He pulled her even tighter against him, "No Amelia." He said, "Stay beside me."

Isaac was helping Sara from the tent. The old woman took a few faltering steps and then stopped. She stared around, her lips trembled minutely before she straightened, her hand gripping the walking stick firmly. Her eyes fell on Jeremy and Scott. "Boys, come to Sara. C'mere now." Her voice rang out strong and clear and as one, the boys moved to her. She gathered them into her arms and spoke quietly to them, "I'm so sorry for your loss boys. But know that your mama and daddy are in heaven. They're holding hands with our Lord and watching over you. Will you remember that for me?"

They both nodded and then Jeremy burst into tears. His body shook with loud, braying sobs and Sara drew his head to her flat chest. "That's alright little boy; you go ahead and get it all out."

Ethan approached Amelia and Daryl. Jacob had his arms wrapped around his neck and his face buried in his father's throat. "Thank you." He held out his hand to Daryl. Daryl stared at his hand and then simply nodded. He kept both hands firmly clamped around Amelia's waist.

"Are you okay Amelia?" Rick spoke from behind her and she smiled at him.

"I am now."

Ethan held his hand out to Rick, "I don't know how to thank you."

Rick shook it briefly, "You're welcome."

Ethan's face fell as Hannah approached them. "Hannah, I'm so sorry. We shouldn't have left you."

Hannah shook her head, "Stop Ethan. It doesn't matter now. Are you and Jacob okay?" She put her arm around his waist and kissed his scarred cheek.

"Jacob?" she ran a gentle hand down the boy's arm. "Hi honey."

He raised his head and sniffled, "Hi Hannah. Where have you been?"

She smiled at him, "I was with new friends. I'm glad to see you."

Daryl pulled Amelia away from the others. He hugged her against him and cupped her face.

"Are ya sure yer okay?" he whispered.

She nodded, tears were threatening and as they spilled down her cheeks he leaned down and kissed them away gravely.

"Don't cry honey."

"I'm not." She sniffed, making him grin.

"I was so afraid." He dipped his head and surprised her by placing a warm, deep kiss on her mouth in front of everyone. She kissed him back, his tongue sliding against hers, and she realized that for the first time since Isaac and Ethan had driven her away from Daryl, she felt whole again.

"Well ain't that just the sweetest thing I ever saw." A loud voice rang out across the camp and Daryl pulled back from her. She had time to register the shock in his eyes before he turned his head to look behind him.

"Looks like little brother finally got himself a woman." Merle smiled, a bitter and cold grin, "You in love Darylina?"


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

"Merle?" Daryl whispered. He took a few steps towards Merle and then stopped, staring back at Amelia.

She bit her bottom lip, her face grave and her eyes dark with worry as Merle sauntered into the camp.

"What little brother? You ain't got a hug for ol' Merle?"

Daryl strode forward and embraced his older brother. Merle slapped his back and then shoved a rough hand against the side of his head.

"Yer a sight for sore eyes." Merle grinned at him. For the first time since she met Merle, Amelia actually saw a bit of warmth in his grin.

He put his arm around Daryl's shoulder and drew him closer towards the others. His gaze fell on Hannah, standing next to Ethan, and he gave her a sly wink. "Hello girl." He looked her up and down slowly, "Yer lookin' good. You been missin' Merle?"

"Merle." Hannah nodded stiffly at him.

Merle caught sight of Rick and T-Dog. His eyes narrowed, "Well if it ain't dumb and dumber."

"Knock it off Merle." Daryl said.

"What's this now?" Merle stared down at him, "Those two assholes chain me to a roof and leave me to die, force me to cut off my own hand, and yer stickin' up for 'em?"

"You should have stayed put Merle." Daryl grabbed his brother's arm, "We came back for ya; did ya really think I would have left ya there to rot?"

"It was an accident Merle." Rick watched him with guarded eyes, one hand resting on the gun in its holster.

"Oh, I see." Merle grinned bitterly, "You accidentally hit me and accidentally chained me to the roof like a rabid dog. Then that nigger accidentally dropped the key."

"What did you just call him?" Melissa shouted and lunged towards Merle. T-Dog seized her around the waist but she twisted and squirmed against him, trying to kick out at Merle with her feet.

"Call him that again you motherfucking cocksucker and I'll wear your balls for earrings!" she screamed at him as she yanked and shoved at T-Dog's hands.

"Melissa quiet!" Rick ordered. He looked around uneasily, worried that her screaming would bring more Walkers their way.

Amelia stared in shock at Melissa. She had known Melissa for over 6 months and for a redhead, she had always been surprisingly patient and slow to anger. Until this moment, the dirtiest swear word she had heard coming from Melissa's mouth was shit. Now, watching her flail and kick and struggle to get at a man twice her size, Amelia realized there was a whole other side to Melissa that she hadn't even suspected.

"You best control yer little woman there before I do somethin' I regret." Merle growled.

T-Dog picked up Melissa, still spitting and snarling at Merle, and carried her away from the others.

"We don't want any trouble Merle." Rick eased closer to him and Daryl, keeping his hand on his gun. "I'm sorry for how it went down but I handcuffed you to that roof for a reason. If everyone keeps their cool, we won't have an issue."

Merle stared at him for a moment or two and then his face broke out into a wide shit-eating grin. "Lucky for you Mr. Policeman, ol' Merle here had an epiphany up on that rooftop. I'm a changed man." He clapped Daryl on the back again, "I believe in forgivin' and forgettin'. Lettin' bygones be bygones." He winked at Rick, "I'll be good if you be good. Shall we shake on it?" He held out his arm with the missing hand, "Oops, maybe not huh?"

Laughing loudly he wandered over to the nearest fallen Walker and kicked it in the head. "Looks like I missed me some Walker action. Ain't that just too bad?"

Amelia looked away as he stepped on the face of the dead woman in the nurse's uniform. There was a cracking noise as her cheekbones snapped under his heel.

"Enough Merle." Daryl said quietly.

Merle grinned at his brother, "Whatever you say little brother. "

Fifteen minutes later, Hannah slipped into her tent and rifled through the overnight bag. She pulled out a t-shirt and draped it over the small bench beside her sleeping bag.

Steeling herself, she started to pull the dirty, blood and brain splattered shirt over her head. Just raising her arms over her head sent a sharp pain through her side and she could feel small trickles of blood running down her skin. She groaned, feeling sick, just as Rick poked his head into her tent, "Hannah, can I talk – " he paused, "Sorry, I didn't realize you were -"

"It's fine." She interrupted. "Can you help me with this?"

He helped ease the shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor of the tent. She shivered in her bra and jeans, he could see goose bumps rising over her skin, and gave him a ghost of a smile. "How bad is it? I'm afraid to look."

He knelt in front of her and started to peel back the blood-soaked bandage as she stared at the ceiling of the tent. "You know, for someone who is so squeamish about blood you handled yourself pretty well earlier." He said.

"I'm not squeamish about blood," she muttered, "I'm just squeamish about _my _blood. And thank you, by the way, for saving my life out there again."

He peeled the rest of the bandage off and sucked in his breath.

"Oh God – is it bad?" she whispered.

"Well, it's not good." He answered. "It looks like you tore every one of the stitches – you're going to get hell from Hershel."

"Dammit!" She raised her hands to her face and rubbed her forehead wearily.

"Whoa...let's not do that." Rick said. He looked around frantically before snatching her t-shirt off the bench and pressing it to her side.

"What are you doing? That's my last shirt!" she scowled.

"You can have mine." He stood up, still holding the shirt to her side and stared down at her. "Don't panic, but it's bleeding quite a bit." She flinched and tried to pull away from him when he pushed firmly on to her wounded side.

He placed his other hand on her waist, forcing her to hold still. "I know it hurts but don't move. We need to at least try and slow down the bleeding before we bandage it back up."

They stood there for a few minutes in thick, uncomfortable silence. Hannah looked resolutely at the side of the tent, afraid that if she looked at Rick, he would see how much she wanted him. "Idiot," she thought angrily to herself, "Even during the end of the world you have to lust after the man least available to you." She had never had good luck with men and it seemed a little thing like the apocalypse wasn't about to change that.

Unable to stand the silence any longer she said, "So you're a police officer huh?"

He shrugged, "I'm a Sheriff's Deputy - or was."

"Did you like it?"

"Yes." He didn't elaborate.

"What did you do before?" he was still holding her around the waist, Hannah wondered if he even realized it.

"I worked in a daycare." She smiled a little.

"You like children huh?"

"I love them. They're so sweet and funny and innocent." She looked up at him and smiled, the first real one he had seen from her and his fingers involuntarily tightened around her waist.

"Do you have children of your own?" he asked.

Her smiled faltered a little, "No."

He knew she didn't wear a ring but he still had to ask, "Are you married?"

"Once – a long time ago."

"What happened?"

She smiled. It was full of sadness and loss. "He found someone who could give him something I never could."

He swallowed, "What was that?"

"It doesn't matter now." She said distractedly. She was staring down at his hand on her waist and he realized that he was rubbing his hand up and down her soft skin. He snatched his hand away just as Amelia slipped into the tent.

"Hey." She had bandages and tape in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. She paused, her dark brown eyes assessing the situation in front of her. Hannah tried not to blush and failed miserably.

"Hello Amelia." Rick seemed a little flustered himself and he looked down at the hand still holding the shirt against Hannah's side.

"I noticed it bleeding earlier." Amelia said gently. "I thought she could use some clean bandages."

Rick nodded, "Yeah. I think it's probably stopped bleeding by now." He pulled the t-shirt away, Hannah hissing when the material stuck a little, and he and Amelia peered at it.

"Yikes." Amelia frowned, "Are all the stitches ripped out?"

"I think so. Do you see right there where the skin just sort of tore apart around them?"

Hannah put her hand to her mouth, "Could you please not describe it in detail?"

"Sorry." Rick looked at Amelia, "Blood makes her nauseous."

Hannah sighed irritably, "No, _my_ blood makes me nauseous. I already told you that."

"I'll take care of Hannah." Amelia looked at him solemnly, "They're digging graves for Irene and Ryan."

He nodded and left the tent. Amelia pretended not to notice the way Hannah's gaze followed him.

"We haven't actually met. I'm Amelia."

Hannah smiled at her, "Hannah. I'm sorry my people kidnapped you." She sounded extraordinarily stupid but Amelia just shrugged and opened the bottle of water. Using a clean piece of gauze she poured water on the cut and gently scrubbed away the blood caked around the wound.

Working quickly, Amelia applied a large, clean bandage and secured it firmly with tape. "Try not to move around too much, at least not until Hershel re-stitches it."

"Thank you but I won't be seeing Hershel again. It'll just have to heal on its own."

Amelia frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Hannah shrugged, "Your group's plan was to bring me back and take you and Melissa home. I don't think that's changed."

"You can't possibly think you can stay here Hannah, not after what happened." Amelia said. "Your group is starving, you have very few weapons and it's only going to get colder."

"I know. Don't worry about us; we'll think of something." She shivered a little and wrapped her arms around her slender waist.

Amelia, still frowning, headed for the entrance of the tent, "Stay here. I'll be back with a shirt for you."


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

"We can't just leave them here Rick." Amelia said in a low, urgent voice. "They're close to starving and they don't have a clue how to protect themselves against Walkers."

She was standing with Rick, T-Dog and Melissa next to Sara's tent. She peered over her shoulder, searching for Daryl. He was grimly shoveling dirt onto Irene's grave while her boys stood between her grave and their father's and sobbed quietly.

"You know I'm right Rick." She placed her hand on his arm and he sighed deeply and looked at T-Dog.

T-Dog shook his head, "I don't know man. I don't trust Merle and his talk of forgiving and forgetting."

"Merle is not coming back to our camp." Melissa said furiously.

"Melissa, he's Daryl's brother." Amelia looked pleadingly at her.

"You knew Amelia didn't you?" Melissa stared at her accusingly, "You knew and didn't tell me."

"What was I supposed to say? Hey Melissa, you know that racist asshole we both immediately hated? Yeah, he's the brother of the man I love. What good would that have done?"

"I don't want him anywhere near T-Dog." Melissa scuffed the toe of her shoe into the dirt as T-Dog put his arm around her.

"Don't you be worrying about me Mel; I can take care of myself."

She glared up at him, "Do you really think Merle won't attack you when your guard is down?" she switched her gaze to Rick, "Or you Rick? Do you both want to constantly be waiting for Merle to stick a knife in your back as some kind of revenge for the roof incident? What if he goes after Lori or Carl?"

"Mel..." T-Dog started.

She rounded on him angrily, "Don't you Mel me! You should have told me about Merle and what happened on that roof and you know it!"

"Okay sweetie, okay." T-Dog held his hands up in a gesture of defense.

"Melissa, I know you don't care about Merle, I don't either – but it's not just him. What about Ethan and Jacob? What about those boys who just lost their parents? You can't tell me you're okay with leaving them behind." Amelia implored.

"Oh please!" Melissa snapped. "They would leave Merle behind in a heartbeat and you know it. I'm fine with bringing the rest of them with us; just not Merle."

Amelia looked at her helplessly, "I won't ask Daryl to leave his brother behind. "

"When I was a little girl, my daddy had a farm. A pretty big one." The group turned and looked at Sara. She had come up behind them, walking slowly but steadily. She stopped in front of them and smiled.

"There was a farmhand, Hal was his name, and he was the meanest, nastiest man I ever met. He made Merle look like a boy scout." She leaned on her walking stick and stared at each of them. "One time he beat up another man so bad over a card game that the man had to take to his bed for a month. Hal didn't have much to do with me, I was just a little bit of a thing playing in the hayloft and following my daddy around, but I was old enough to know there wasn't a lick of good in him."

She sighed, "When I was about 11 years old I screwed up my courage and asked daddy why he kept Hal on. My daddy was a good man; he paid his help well and there were plenty of people to take Hal's place. He sat me down on his knee and reminded me that the good Lord had instructed us to love each other. And that loving one another didn't just mean the good ones or the nice ones. We were to love even the ones who had lost their way. Hal was a bad man, no doubt about that, but when my daddy died he wept like a baby at his service. "

She smiled at Melissa, "I know you're worried for your man honey and I don't blame you, but the Lord tells us to love one another, even the flawed ones. With so much death around us, it isn't right to give up on the living - even the ones who have strayed from the Lord's path."

She turned to Rick, "I appreciate everything you've done for us young man and I won't deny that I would be mighty thankful if you invited us to join your group, but I won't shame my daddy's memory by leaving Merle behind."

She turned and limped away, her walking stick thumping softly on the ground. Rick ran a hand through his hair and stared at T-Dog. After a moment T-Dog nodded.

"We take them with us. All of them." Rick said softly.

**Hello all! As you've probably noticed – the story has started to shift from being solely about Amelia and Daryl to involving more of the group as a whole, with an emphasis on Rick. I'm curious if you would prefer that I keep writing the story under "Amelia's Choice" or if you think starting a new story would be more appropriate. I'm not done with Amelia and Daryl, there's still plenty more of their story (especially with the return of Merle) but the story of Amelia and Daryl is becoming part of a larger story involving more characters. I'm leaning strongly towards just continuing on with the story under "Amelia's Choice" but I am curious as to your thoughts on it. If you'd like and have the time, pm me or leave me a comment in the reviews about what your preference is. And once again – thank you so much for sharing this journey with me and for taking the time to express your thoughts on the story. I'm so appreciative of you all! I can't thank you enough!**


	50. Chapter 50

**Thanks to everyone for your input! I've decided to just keep writing under Amelia's Choice; it's my preference and seems to be the more popular option among you readers as well. Just to warn you, there will be even more straying from Amelia and Daryl in the next few chapters. As one reader pointed out, they've taken a bit of a backseat in their own story, and truthfully - it's going to be like that for a bit. Their story isn't over (not with Merle thrown in the mix and Michael's feelings for Amelia) but I am going to be expanding on other characters within the story with special emphasis on Rick. For you diehard Daryl fans - I do hope you stick around, even if the focus isn't on him for awhile, but I'll understand if you choose not to. :) Thanks again everyone!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 50<p>

"Maybe we should try and find another car to boost." Daryl stared critically at the two vehicles.

Rick shook his head, "No. We'll squeeze in."

After burying Irene and Ryan, the others had quickly packed up the small campsite. They had hauled the supplies to the edge of the woods and stashed their meagre possessions in the back of the truck.

Amelia stood next to Hannah, "How's your side?"

"It's okay. I think it's stopped bleeding." Hannah smiled at her. They watched as Rick and Daryl organized the group into the two vehicles.

Merle, sitting behind the wheel of the small car, honked the horn impatiently. "Move yer asses!" Sara, who was sitting beside him in the passenger seat, her walking stick planted firmly between her legs, patted his arm and he gave her a slightly sheepish grin.

Ethan squeezed into the back seat behind Sara, his long legs nearly at his chin. Jacob perched on his lap while Scott, leading his younger brother by the hand, slid into the car, pulling Jeremy in after him. Rick shut the door and brought Julie and Isaac to the truck.

Daryl approached Amelia and Melissa, "C'mon you." He winked at Amelia and she giggled, "We're about to get real cozy in the backseat." He took her hand and helped her into the back seat of the truck; Hannah smiled a little when he kept his hand on her backside a little longer than necessary and she slapped at his hand with a small grin. Isaac and Julie were already in their seats and Amelia ended up sitting mostly on Daryl's lap in order for all of them to fit in the seat.

T-Dog climbed in behind the wheel and Melissa crammed herself against him. Belatedly, Hannah realized she would be sitting in the front seat next to Rick and her face flushed. She thought briefly of asking Julie to switch with her, realized it would bring more curiosity than she wanted, and walked slowly to the passenger side of the truck.

"Ready?" Rick asked her. She saw none of the apprehension she felt in his eyes and she told herself she was being silly. She nodded as he opened the door for her. Before she could climb into the truck, Rick's hands were cupping both her elbows and he lifted her easily onto the running board of the truck.

"Thanks." She murmured. She slid across the seat and rested up against Melissa, craning her neck to see how much room she was leaving Rick. She realized quickly that there wasn't even close to enough room for him and she shifted onto her left hip, putting her arm on the seat behind Melissa and placing a careful hand on her right side. Rick squeezed in beside her and shut the door.

"Let's go T-Dog." Rick said, his breath hot on the back of her neck. She could feel his thigh against her ass, and his arm and shoulder resting against her back and she groaned to herself. It would be a long trip.

Hannah shifted uncomfortably on the seat. It had been close to an hour of driving and according to T-Dog they had at least another hour to go. She glanced around the cab of the truck. Melissa was resting against T-Dog, her red curls tangled around his arm. Hannah suspected that she was sleeping. Julie was leaning against the door, her forehead pressed to the window of the truck, staring silently at the landscape. Isaac was leaning against her, his head resting against her shoulder. He was snoring lightly, his head swaying gently with the rhythm of the truck. Amelia was sitting on Daryl's lap, their legs entwined. She had her arms wrapped around Daryl's shoulders and she was alternating between placing soft kisses on his cheek and nuzzling his throat. He had one arm wound firmly around her hips and the other on her thigh. His eyes were closed but the small smile that appeared on his face every time Amelia kissed him told Hannah he wasn't sleeping.

She shifted again. Her hip and entire left leg was completely numb and she wiggled her foot, trying to bring some feeling back into it. Her right side was burning miserably and she stretched her left arm above her head, trying to bring some relief to the numbness in it as well.

"Everything okay?" Rick asked quietly.

She nodded. "I'm fine. Just a little uncomfortable; it's no big deal."

He shook his head, "You look more than a little uncomfortable." He grabbed her around the hips and pulled her onto his lap so she was sitting sideways across his thighs.

She flushed a little and went to slide off his lap but Melissa had already shifted over, sighing in her sleep, and there was only a small chunk of space left on the seat.

Rick kept his hands casually at his sides as Hannah fidgeted nervously on his lap. "I'm too heavy to sit on your lap." She muttered.

He laughed, he couldn't help it, and she glared at him. "Nice try. You weigh what – a hundred pounds soaking wet?"

"A hundred and eight." She stared down at her hands. She knew saying she was too heavy was a stupid excuse but she was desperate to find a reason to get off of Rick's lap. It was unfortunate that everyone appeared more comfortable with her not on the seat. Melissa wasn't mashed up against T-Dog anymore and he seemed happier to have a bit more elbow room to drive. Even Rick had shifted so he wasn't pressed directly against the door. As the feeling started to come back to her leg and hip, her foot tingling unpleasantly with pins and needles, Hannah had to admit that sitting on Rick's lap was more comfortable than being crammed on her hip between him and Melissa.

She kept stealing small glances at Rick's face. She tried to stop but every few minutes she would find herself staring at him again, noticing how the sun turned his eyes a brilliant, clear green, and picked up the threads of grey starting in his beard. She forced herself to look away and realized that Amelia was watching her watch Rick, a small frown on her face. Hannah blushed and gave her a guilty grin. She turned on Rick's lap so that she was facing forward with her legs crammed between his long ones, and sat forward rigidly, staring out the windshield. It didn't take long before her back started to ache and she twitched and squirmed, leaning forward to rest her arms on the dashboard. She cursed softly when T-Dog hit a pothole and she bumped her head into the hard glass of the windshield.

"Sorry." He said, not without some amusement.

Rick tapped her on the shoulder, "Just lean back Hannah. It's no big deal – you're not too heavy."

"Right, no big deal." She thought to herself and tentatively leaned back into Rick. She realized almost immediately what a mistake it was. Rick's chest was warm and hard against her back, his breath tickled along her ear and the side of her cheek, and her ass was jammed directly on to his crotch. Rick didn't say anything and his body language suggested he was perfectly comfortable, but his hands were curled into tight fists on the seat and his breathing was perhaps a bit too rapid for someone who was completely at ease.

After only a few minutes, Hannah sat back up. Smiling weakly at Rick, she twisted again until she was back to sitting on his lap sideways and slid backwards until her back was against the door. She rested the back of her head on the cold glass and crossed her arms over her torso. The armrest was digging into her spine but she could tough it out for the next hour.

"Better?" Rick raised one eyebrow at her.

"Yes." She replied. She glanced back at Amelia but she was curled up on Daryl's lap, her head tucked into his neck and her eyes closed. His eyes were still closed as well but one rough hand rubbed her leg gently.

She sighed, closed her eyes, and tried to block out the feel of Rick's legs under her own.

Rick shifted in his seat, stretching his legs a bit, then grabbed for Hannah as she started to slide off his lap towards the dashboard. She had dozed off maybe 10 minutes ago and he was amused at how quickly and deeply she had fallen asleep. She couldn't be comfortable, he could see the armrest poking into her back and her head rocked back and forth against the glass of the window, but she evidently was exhausted enough to ignore it. He propped her back up against the door of the truck and T-Dog laughed quietly when Rick let go of her and she immediately started to slide back down his legs towards the dashboard again. He held her up for a moment and gave T-Dog a "now what?" look as Hannah frowned and shifted and started to wake.

He shrugged, "Don't look at me man." Sighing, Rick tugged her against him.

Still mostly asleep she came willingly enough, collapsing against him in a boneless little heap. He put his arm around her, placing his hand on her ribcage above the bulky bandage on her side and holding her steady. He didn't like how he could feel the bones so easily; she felt so tiny and fragile to him. Maybe not that fragile, he thought, his mind flashing back to the ferocity in which she had slammed the rock down on the Walker's head. Still, he made a mental note to make sure she ate enough at the camp. She needed more meat on her bones.

He glanced over at T-Dog. He was staring at the road ahead of him but he turned his head and regarded Rick solemnly for a moment. He didn't seem to find anything strange about Hannah using him as a pillow and Rick sighed a breath of relief. Even if his thoughts weren't exactly innocent about holding Hannah, at least it appeared that way.

Hannah sighed softly in her sleep and snuggled closer to him. Only half awake she shifted and squirmed until she was mostly straddling him. She slid her left arm between his arm and his body and tucked her hand between his back and the seat. He swallowed hard when she slipped her other hand into the opening at the neck of his shirt and curled her fingers into the hair on his chest. She sighed again and his entire body shuddered when she placed a soft kiss on the sensitive spot just behind his ear before dropping her head on to his shoulder. He was immediately thankful for two things – that no one had seen her kiss him and that her body was covering his crotch and hiding his erection.

T-Dog glanced over and his face split into a wide grin. "She seems comfortable. For such an itty bit of a thing, she sure takes up a lot of room when she sleeps." He chuckled.

Rick gave him what he hoped was a "what are you going to do?" shrug in response.

T-Dog laughed again, "I'll bet you ten bucks she's one of those women who sleeps in the middle of the bed, limbs everywhere and hogging the covers." He looked fondly at Melissa still dozing against him, "Seems like the littler they are the more bed space they like to have."


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Hannah sighed and stretched against the warm body underneath her. She yawned. She could feel rough hair under the palm of her hand and she curled her fingers into it before stroking her hand softly across it. So nice, she thought, still half-asleep. She nuzzled her face into his throat and pressed her mouth against the warm skin before opening her lips and tasting the saltiness of his skin with the tip of her tongue. The heart beneath her palm began to beat with a rapid, thudding fierceness and the hand around her ribcage squeezed almost painfully. Her roaming fingers brushed against his nipple and there was a sharp inhale and a choked whisper of "Hannah, stop." before a sudden bump nearly knocked her off Rick's lap and woke her up completely. He held on to her with a strong hand around her ribcage and she sat up, blinking owl-like at the bright afternoon sun. She glanced at Rick, realized with horror that she was still caressing his chest inside his shirt, and pulled her hand free.

"Sorry." She muttered in embarrassment. He just nodded and stared out the passenger window. Apparently in her sleep she had straddled him. She could see both Daryl and Amelia looking at her over Rick's shoulder. Amelia stared at her thoughtfully, biting at her lower lip, and Hannah was positive she had seen what just happened. Her face reddening, she shifted and wiggled around, smacking the top of her head on the ceiling of truck and poking Rick in the chest with her elbow, until she was facing forward.

She cleared her throat and asked in a low voice, "How much further is it?"

When Rick didn't answer, T-Dog glanced over at her, "About 20 minutes." He frowned, "Hannah, are you okay?"

She was staring at him, eyes wide and her face pink. She licked her lips, "I'm fine."

He nodded and looked back at the road ahead of him.

Hannah stared straight ahead and tried to stay perfectly still. It had taken her a few minutes to recognize exactly what that hardness under her ass was but now it was impossible to ignore. She glanced down to her right to see Rick gripping the arm rest of the truck door so hard the knuckles of his hand were white.

As T-Dog turned off the highway, down the nearly hidden dirt road, she wondered if she should slide forward a bit. Before she could move, the truck hit a pothole and she bounced on Rick's lap, hitting her head on the ceiling of the truck again. She could hear Rick hissing beneath her as the truck jolted and groaned its way down the dirt road. She tried to stop herself from moving by bracing her hands on the ceiling but she was too light and she bounced helplessly on his lap. Finally, with a muttered curse, Rick clamped his arm around her hips and held her tightly against him. It pressed his erection more firmly against her ass and despite herself she could feel her body responding. She gritted her teeth and willed herself not to give in to the temptation to rub her ass against him.

Hannah glanced behind her; Isaac had woken and he and Julie were peering interestedly out the front window of the truck and Daryl had his arm wrapped around Amelia, holding her from sliding off his lap. Amelia was still looking at her in that same thoughtful way, "Hannah, you're flushed. Is your side okay?"

She nodded and tried to smile, "It's a little tender."

Melissa, who had woken when the truck had started down the dirt road, patted her arm sympathetically, "It's not too much further now. Do you want to try and slip back onto the seat again? I can move over, you may not be jerked around as much."

Rick's arm immediately tightened around her, his hand squeezing into her flesh, and she knew exactly what he was trying to communicate.

"Thank you." She said, "But if Rick's okay with it, I'll just stay here; we're almost there right?"

"It's fine." Rick replied, "We're almost to the campsite."

Nearly 15 minutes later, T-Dog pulled into the clearing, Merle stopping the car behind him, and shut the truck off.

"Home sweet home." T-Dog smiled at Melissa and she squeezed his big knee.

"I'm so glad to be back." She smiled as he opened the door and jumped out of the truck, turning to lift her down from the seat. Behind them, Daryl slid out of the truck, followed closely by Amelia, Julie and Isaac. Only then did Hannah move off of Rick's lap. She slid to the far end of the seat and without looking at Rick, swung her legs over the edge to jump down. Before she could jump, T-Dog stuck his hands under her armpits and lifted her out like she was a small child. He set her on the ground and gave her a wink before turning back to Melissa. Behind her she could hear the truck door slam as Rick climbed out from his side.

Hannah stood next to Julie and Isaac as Ethan, carrying Jacob in one arm and Sara leaning on the other, joined them. Jeremy and Scott followed more slowly; Scott once again having to lead his younger brother by the hand. Only Merle stood apart, leaning on the car and chewing thoughtfully on a toothpick, as the others filed out of the main lodge.

"Dad!" Carl smiled happily and ran across the clearing to hug his father. Lori followed more slowly, her arms wrapped around herself like usual, a small frown of uncertainty on her face. Rick nodded to her but made no effort to touch her. Carl stared curiously at the newcomers, before waving at Hannah. She waved back and gave him a brief smile.

She watched as the little girl Ellie, peeked out from behind Carol's leg. Her face broke into a wide grin at the sight of Daryl and Amelia and she let go of Carol's hand and skipped across the wide space between them. "Hi Amelia! Hi Daryl!" she sang happily and wrapped her arms around Amelia's legs.

"Pick me up!" she demanded, holding her arms up to Amelia.

"I can't right now Ellie baby. My shoulder is pretty sore." Amelia smiled at her. "I sure am glad to see you though."

Ellie pouted and then turned to Daryl. She held her arms up wordlessly. Daryl cracked his knuckles nervously and looked to Amelia for help. She grinned at him and sighing, he leaned down and gingerly picked Ellie up.

"Hi Daryl." She kissed his cheek, making him flinch a little, and then leaned out towards Amelia. She kissed Amelia on the mouth with a loud smacking noise. "Where have you been Amelia? Did you miss me?"

"I sure did Ellie." Amelia smiled at her as she settled back against Daryl and wrapped her small arm around his neck. Daryl cleared his throat and began to set her down but she scowled and tightened her arm around him.

"Nu-uh Daryl - I want to be held."

Amelia, taking pity on Daryl, looked around the clearing, "Where's Michael honey? He'll hold you."

Ellie shrugged, "He's in the eye with Frank."

Amelia frowned, "The eye with Frank?"

Carol had joined them and she laughed a little, "She means the blind with Frank." She held Amelia's hand and then squeezed Daryl's arm for a moment. "Welcome home you two."

Amelia stared towards the trees where the blind was located. The sun was too strong for her to see it so she settled for waving in its general direction, knowing Michael would see her.

"Who's that?" Ellie asked suddenly. She pointed at Hannah's small group clustered together in front of the truck.

"New friends." Amelia replied. "Would you like to meet Jacob?" She motioned for the group to join them and everyone, with the exception of Hannah, started over. Hannah stayed in front of the truck, her hand on her side, and her face pale. She kept darting quick glances at Rick as he stood silently next to Lori, Carl chattering quietly to him. Amelia sighed. She recognized too well, the look on Hannah's face.

Hannah rubbed gently at her side and tried to stop herself from looking at Rick and his family. Despite her nap in the truck she was exhausted and her side was burning and throbbing. The thought of having to have it cleaned and sewn up again was enough to make her want to cry. Her emotions were all over the place and although she knew it was a combination of stress, pain and probably blood loss as well, she had to bite her tongue fiercely to keep herself from crying.

She sighed when a familiar voice spoke into her ear. "Never did get an answer to my question girl." Merle had moved away from the car and was now standing directly behind her.

"What question was that Mere?" she replied politely.

"Whether or not you been missin' Merle?" he smiled down at her, his eyes lingered on her lips and then her small breasts.

"Now why would I miss you?"

"Everyone needs someone to keep 'em warm at night. You know my offer still stands to keep you warm." He gave her another grin, this one decidedly more lecherous, and stroked her arm with the stump of his missing hand.

She smiled coolly at him and motioned for him to move closer. He bent down until his face was only a few inches from hers and she forced herself not to step away.

"I'd rather sleep with a Walker than let you touch me with any part of your ignorant, racist body Merle Dixon. Do I make myself clear?" she said quietly.

He bared his teeth at her before straightening, "That can be arranged ya know." He gave her a thin, cruel smile. "Accidents have been known to happen – especially to uppity bitches like you."

"You shouldn't threaten me Merle. I don't play nice." She stared coldly at him.

He stared at her. His eyes darkened with a combination of anger and, Hannah shuddered inside, desire and he deliberately stroked her arm again. "I keep hopin' you won't play nice with me girl."

"Is there a problem here?" Rick's low voice spoke from behind her left shoulder. Hannah didn't allow the relief she felt to show on her face.

"No problem officer." Merle smiled widely at him. "Hannah and I were just discussin' how much she's been missin' me."

"Is that - _Merle_?" Glen's voice rang out across the clearing and Hannah looked up to see every one staring at them.

Merle grinned and waved his stump at them merrily, "Surprise!" as the others stared in shocked silence. Hannah caught a glimpse of Lori's white, shocked face before she turned and fled back to their cabin.

Rick sighed behind her, "Carl, can you go to the main lodge with everyone else? I want to speak to your mom for a minute." He ran a weary hand through his hair as Carl nodded and started towards Amelia and the others.

Rick walked towards his cabin as Merle called out mockingly, "Uh oh – hope ol' Merle ain't gonna be trouble in paradise for ya officer."

"Do everyone a favour and shut the fuck up Merle." Hannah glared at him before walking away.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Hannah was standing in the kitchen of her cabin waiting for Hershel when there was a knock at the door. Amelia poked her head in. "Hey? How are you?"

"Fine - I'm just waiting for Hershel." Hannah said as Amelia joined her in the kitchen.

"He shouldn't be too much longer; he's just taking a quick look at Sara's leg." Amelia sat down on one of the chairs around the table and motioned for Hannah to join her. "I told him I would help him with your side – if you're okay with that."

"Sure." Hannah sat down, wincing a little, "Where's Melissa?"

Amelia grinned, "Funniest thing – her and T-Dog disappeared into his cabin to freshen up and they haven't been seen since."

Hannah smiled a little, "It's nice of you to stay and help rather than," she paused and her smile widened, "freshen up with Daryl."

Amelia shrugged, "Daryl's helping organize the cabins; they're figuring out who's going to bunk with whom."

"I'm in Melissa's cabin right?"

Amelia nodded, "Yes, but I think she'll be staying with T-Dog from now on."

Hannah glanced around the small cabin, "Well, I can stay with someone from my group; I don't need an entire cabin to myself."

"We'll see what happens. Daryl will let you know if you need to move or buddy up with someone."

Hannah paused, "You know Amelia, if you want to go and be with Daryl I'm sure that Julie could help Hershel. I mean, I appreciate you offering to help but I know you've been away from Daryl and I understand if you'd rather be with him."

Amelia shrugged again, "I think I'll give him some time with his brother. He hasn't seen Merle for months and wasn't even sure he was alive."

Hannah hesitated, trying to be tactful, "Merle is a different guy."

Amelia laughed, "Yeah, different is a polite way of putting it. I'm just grateful that Daryl is nothing like him."

Hannah didn't respond. She was thinking back to the Daryl she had met in this cabin. That Daryl had scared the shit out of her and threatened her with a knife. If it hadn't been for Rick, she was positive Daryl would have forced her to take him to Amelia using any method he needed to. She liked Amelia; she thought the possibility of them becoming friends was strong but she wasn't sure she would ever completely trust Daryl. And now, knowing that Merle was his brother, it only cemented her feelings. She shivered a little and Amelia frowned.

"What was Merle saying to you by the truck?"

Hannah shook her head, "Doesn't matter. He was just being Merle." Although she got the vibe that Amelia liked Merle about as much as she did, she wasn't about to share that her boyfriend's brother sexually harassed her on a regular basis.

Amelia gave her a scrutinizing look, "You know, my first day at your camp, Merle made some ugly remarks about my breasts and then slapped me across the face when I rejected him. If you're worried that I'm going to say something to him or to Daryl, don't be. I love Daryl but it doesn't mean I have blinders on about what type of man his brother is."

"Did you tell Daryl?"

"No and I won't. Not unless Merle continues with it." She paused, "But you shouldn't have to put up with it either. We don't have to talk to Daryl about it; we can mention it to Rick. "

Hannah shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not entirely sure what happened with him, T-Dog and Merle but based on what Merle said back at the camp, I know he blames them for his missing hand. It's probably best to not involve Rick when it comes to Merle."

Amelia nodded, "Fair enough. I only said Rick because I noticed how quickly he joined you when Merle was talking to you."

Hannah gave her an awkward look, "Well, he's the leader of your group right? He probably feels responsible for everyone's safety."

"Yeah, I guess he does. But I think there are some people he's more keenly invested in keeping safe."

When Hannah didn't respond, Amelia reached across the table and took her hand. "Hannah, I know we don't know each other very well but I think we could be friends. Do you?"

Hannah nodded and stared at the table.

"Good. I'm going to be blunt with you okay? I saw what was going on with you and Rick in the truck. I don't know if you were half-asleep or doing it on purpose but his reaction when you started touching him was obvious."

Hannah could feel her cheeks burning, "I was still mostly asleep." She whispered, "I didn't realize I was –" she stopped, "Oh God, do you think the others noticed?"

Amelia shook her head, "Julie maybe but the headrest was directly in front of her so I doubt she would have seen all that much." She squeezed Hannah's hand, "I know you were at our camp for a few days but I'm not sure if they let you leave the cabin or not so – you know that Rick is married to Lori right?"

Hannah nodded miserably and tried to pull her hand free but Amelia tightened her grip.

"Honey, I'm not saying any of this to embarrass you or make you feel bad, I swear. It's just – I see the way you look at Rick and I know that look well. I just didn't want you setting yourself up for disappointment by going after someone who is already spoken for."

Hannah couldn't look at Amelia. "It was just that one time in the truck and it was only because I was half-awake."

She heard Amelia sigh and then she reached out with cool fingers and pushed Hannah's chin up until she was looking directly at her. "Really? Because earlier in your tent, Rick was looking at you like you were his favourite candy in the entire store."

Hannah stared into Amelia's dark brown eyes. They were full of warmth and compassion and reminded her of Natalie's. She was hit with a powerful cramp of loneliness for Natalie and as the tears welled up in her eyes she found herself spilling everything to Amelia.

"Back at the town, I was in the restaurant and I was sick with an infection. I had a bad fever and I was hot and delirious and Rick – he saved me from a Freak - a Walker - and I just remember thinking his lips were gorgeous and he had saved my life. So then I kissed him, but it was the fever that made me do it you know?" she stared at Amelia who nodded and squeezed her hand.

"Only, he responded. It was only for a minute or two but he definitely responded. Then, here at the cabins, I was being – "she paused and gave Amelia a look that she didn't understand, "your friends wanted to find you guys, naturally, but I still wasn't feeling a hundred percent and Rick stuck up for me, told them to back off. After, we were alone in the cabin and he was looking at me, just looking, but I knew what the look meant. I have – had a friend who died horribly and after that I swore I would just, live life to the fullest right? So I just decided to go for it and I threw myself at him and he didn't like kiss me or anything that time, but I could feel his –" she flushed a little and looked down at the table, "I could feel him and I knew he wanted me. I tried to kiss him, he pushed me away and I finally noticed his ring and realized he was married."

She looked up, afraid of what she would see in Amelia's eyes, but they still radiated kindness and she blew her breath out in a large rush. "Once I realized he was married I apologized and told him I wasn't that kind of girl. Then he apologized to me and told me I didn't need to be sorry, that it was his fault and then it got all kinds of awkward and he left. After that, I didn't touch him again until the truck. And I swear to you it was only because I was half-asleep."

She buried her face in her hand, "I'm sure that Rick thinks I'm a slut and now you probably do too and I feel incredibly foolish because despite everything - the stupid end of the world, him being married - I still want him."

Amelia squeezed her hand firmly, "Hannah look at me."

Hannah obeyed; her clear blue eyes were bright with unshed tears.

"I do not think you're a slut and I'm sure Rick doesn't either. You are not to put all of this on your shoulders; Rick is a married man and he is just as responsible for his own behavior as you are for yours. This isn't an excuse for his behavior but I know he and Lori are going through a rough patch right now which could explain part of his reaction to you. Plus, you're super cute." She winked at Hannah, making her smile a little.

Amelia sobered, "May I give you some unsolicited advice? I realize we haven't known each other for very long and I won't be offended if you're not interested."

Hannah shook her head, "No, please – go ahead."

"Stay away from Rick. He's a good man who is doing his best to keep people safe. Everyone in this camp has a great deal of respect for him. But you need to stay away from him because while what you're feeling for him right now is just lust, it's only a matter of time until it's something more. Trust me honey, you'll be in for a whole world of hurting if that happens. When I first got here, there was miscommunication and confusion and I thought that Daryl was in a relationship of sorts. I tried to stay away from him; I tried to tamp my feelings down for him but it was already too late. I couldn't stay away and every single time we touched or kissed, I had this weird and terrible combination of happiness and guilt. It nearly drove me crazy Hannah. I don't want that to happen to you. Rick is married with a child and no matter how much you may want each other, you both know it's wrong. Do your best to stay away from him and not to be alone with him okay?"

Hannah nodded and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her sweater, "It worked out for you and Daryl huh?"

Amelia smiled, "It did. Honestly, if Daryl and I had spoken earlier and both he and I hadn't made assumptions about the other, we would have saved ourselves a lot of heartache and guilt." She rolled her eyes. "That doesn't matter though. It worked out for us and I love him, and I thank God every day for him. But I don't think that's how it's going to be for you and Rick. I'm so sorry honey. I really am."

Hannah shook her head, "No, you're right. Of course you are." She gave Amelia a tentative smile, "I've always had terrible luck with men."

Amelia squeezed her hand as there was a knock at the door, "Hang in there honey, it'll get better."

As she got up to let Hershel in, Hannah stared miserably at the table. Amelia had told her to stay away from Rick before she felt more for him than just lust but she was terribly afraid that it was already too late.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

"What were you thinking Rick?" Lori turned on him the moment he slipped into their cabin. She stalked back and forth in the living room, her long dark hair rippling behind her like a flag.

"Lori, I can explain." He held his hands up but she shook her head and gave him a look of pure fury.

"No! I don't want to hear your reasoning. Let's forget the fact that you brought Merle Dixon back with you - a man who hates you and is dangerous and a drug addict. What on earth were you thinking bringing back an entire camp of people back here?"

"Merle is Daryl's brother. Was I supposed to just tell him that his brother couldn't come back with us? Even though it's my fault he's missing a hand and nearly died on a roof? "

"Why not?" she snarled, "You seem to have no problem lately telling the rest of us what we can and cannot do. How is this any different? Merle and Daryl can strike out on their own for all I care. It's probably what they want anyway."

He ignored her, "As for the others - they were starving Lori; they had no idea how to defend themselves against Walkers. They have a lady who's nearly 80 years old with a massive leg infection sleeping in a tent for Christ's sake. You expect me to just leave them in a bunch of tents in the middle of woods with winter coming on?"

She shook her head, "I expect you to let the others in this camp have a say in whether we want more mouths to feed this winter. It's going to be hard enough to survive with just our group. Now you've gone and added more people without giving any of us a chance to say anything on the matter. You're so concerned about taking care of others that you forget about your own family. Bringing in more people means more noise, more food – "

"It also means more people to watch our backs. More people to hunt and forage for food." He interrupted furiously.

"Really? Because you just told me you brought these people to our camp because they were starving and useless against Walkers. Do you really want to bring that kind of danger on Carl? You're taking food from Carl's mouth. You bring back a man who nearly died because of you and you don't see the problem with that? What if he hurts Carl or me to get back at you? Do you not care about us at all?" she asked furiously.

"Lori – that's all I care about." He stared at her in shock, "Everything I do is to keep you and Carl and the baby safe. That's what matters, I don't need – "

"You and I both know this baby isn't yours Rick." Lori suddenly shouted at him and he recoiled from her as if she had struck him.

"Lori –" he whispered, "Stop this. I know you're upset about Shane and what happened but you have to believe that I had no choice. He was going to kill me. I told you that."

She shook her head, "And Carl? Why did you have to involve Carl? How many times did we talk about how he was changing? He's growing hard about the world and about this life and then you put him in a situation where he has to shoot Shane?"

"Shane was like a father to him Rick." He winced, but she continued on, her voice hard, "I keep trying to talk to him about what happened and he just shrugs and says it was no big deal. Shane was a Walker, he put him down." She ran a shaking hand over her face.

"I wish I could take that moment back Lori, you know I do. If I could have kept Carl away from all of that I would have. I thought he was back at the house with you."

She glared at him, "Are you saying this is my fault? Because Carl was supposed to be in the house with me and I didn't see him leave?"

He shook his head, "No – that's not what I'm saying."

She sighed and he could see tears starting to slip down her cheeks, "I'm so tired Rick.

He cupped her face and for the first time in weeks she didn't pull away. "Lori." He whispered, "I love you and Carl. I would do anything for you but what kind of man would I be if I let those people starve or freeze to death? I had to bring them back with us."

She stared at him, her eyes were full of a calculating coldness he'd never seen before, "Are you sure that's the only reason you brought them back Rick?"

He blinked, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not stupid. I've seen the way Hannah looks at you Rick. And I've seen how you've been looking at her. "

He dropped his hands from her face as anger flooded through him. "You're questioning me about my loyalty Lori? Tell me – did you and Shane wait until my body was cold before you fucked or was that too long of a wait?"

She blanched and then slapped him hard across the face. "How dare you!" she whispered, "I thought you were dead; I was frightened and alone. I didn't sleep with Shane just because I liked the way his ass looked."

He rubbed his face where she had slapped him. "There's nothing going on between Hannah and me. Just because she looks at me in a way that you don't anymore doesn't mean I'm sleeping with her. I have some self-control."

She stared at him stonily and he saw none of the love she once had for him in her gaze. "I think you should leave Rick."

"Fine. We'll talk about this later after we've both cooled down."

She shook her head, "No. I want you to move out."

He gawked at her, "What? No – we can fix this. We can talk and we can –"

"No!" she shouted at him, "I'm done Rick. I can't deal with this right now. I need space and you need to move out."

"And Carl? What do we tell him?" he asked bitterly.

She shrugged, "Do you honestly think he'll be surprised?"

"Lori," he pleaded, "Don't do this."

"Don't Rick. You and I both know we don't feel the same way about each other anymore. Can you honestly say you love me the way you used to?"

"We can try to get that back! But not if you kick me out."

She shook her head firmly, "It's too late." She pointed to the couch where he realized she had packed a large plastic bag with his few clothes. "My decision was made when you chose to leave Carl and me again for yet another rescue mission."

He shook his head wearily, picked up the bag, and left.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

"Julie, ya want to bunk with someone or stay by yourself?" Daryl asked.

Julie shook her head, "Doesn't matter to me Daryl." She glanced behind him, "Hello - who is that?"

Daryl looked over his shoulder, "Michael." He muttered.

Julie grinned, "I need to be introduced to this Michael." Her face fell when Michael turned and went into the main lodge. He was followed by a shorter, barrel-chested man who waved cheerfully at her and Daryl before disappearing into the lodge.

"Daryl, I need a cabin." Rick strode up from the direction of the cabin he shared with Lori. There was a bag of clothes in his hand and he looked both angry and sick to his stomach.

Daryl stared at him for a moment, taking in the bag Rick was holding, before shrugging, "We ain't got but two empty ones left. I was gonna give this one to Julie and the other one to Isaac but I suppose he can bunk with Ethan and his kid."

"I appreciate it." Without another word, Rick stalked up the stairs of the cabin and entered it, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Julie and Daryl looked at each other, "Guess that cabin there is yours." He said.

Amelia picked up a tea towel and began to dry the dishes that Carol was washing. "Oh honey, you don't have to help." Carol protested.

Amelia shrugged, flinching a little at the pain in her shoulder, "I don't mind. I'm waiting for Daryl anyway."

"How's Hannah?"

"She's better. Hershel re-stitched her cut for a third time; she's going to have to take it easy for the next few days, he said he wouldn't be able to stitch it again if she re-opens it. I left her having a nap in her cabin."

"How's your shoulder?"

"Sore actually. I strained it a little trying to keep a Walker from killing me." She said nonchalantly.

Carol laughed, "I'm sorry. I know that isn't funny but the way you said it –"

Amelia grinned at her, "It was meant to be funny." She glanced over her shoulder as Ellie and Jacob's giggling drifted to her. She could just see them sliding off the couch in front of the fireplace in the main room as Ethan kept a close eye on them.

"Looks like Ellie found a new friend." She smiled at Carol.

"I'm glad. It's nice for her to have someone her own age around." Carol replied. She hesitated, "What was Jacob's dad's name again?"

"Ethan. He's a nice guy."

"Hmm…that's good." Carol suddenly seemed rather intent on the plate she was washing.

"He's cute too huh?" Amelia wiggled her eyebrows at Carol who flushed but before she could respond there was a voice behind them.

"Hello white girl."

Amelia turned and hugged Michael. He picked her up and squeezed her tightly before setting her on her feet.

"I'm glad to see you Michael." She frowned as she stared into his face. "Michael – what happened?" She ran her hand over the split in his lip and his black eye.

He shrugged, "Nothing I couldn't handle."

She bit her lip, "I want to know what happened. Tell me right now Michael."

"Your boyfriend and I just got into a bit of a disagreement that's all."

"What? Daryl did this?" she nearly shouted.

"Yeah, but it's fine really." He said soothingly.

She stepped back, leaning against the counter, and stared at him discerningly, "What did you say to him Michael?"

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

She shook her head, as Carol dried her hands and excused herself to the main room with Ellie and Jacob. "Don't play innocent with me. You had to have said something to make him hit you like that."

"I didn't say anything that warranted him trying to knock my teeth out of my head." He said grouchily.

"Tell me exactly what you said and I'll be the judge of that." She sighed.

"Look, I panicked when you weren't in the truck with them okay? I was worried, I thought you were dead and I might have said something about it being his fault if you died."

She just looked at him, her face pale, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip and he stumbled on, "It would have been Amelia. He's supposed to take care of you and instead he let you get kidnapped. If I had been there you can sure as hell bet I would have killed them before I let them take you."

"You would have killed a boy barely out of his teens and a man with a young son." She said in a quiet voice.

He looked a little sick to his stomach but he swallowed hard and continued, "We have to watch out for our own Amelia. You know that. They made the choice to kidnap you; they'd have to live with the consequences. If Daryl was any kind of man, he would have stopped them from even leaving – "

She held her hand up and he stopped. "We can't be friends anymore Michael." She said sorrowfully.

Panic bloomed in his belly, "What are you talking about? Of course we can be friends."

She shook her head sadly, "No Michael. We can't. I have asked you repeatedly to respect my relationship with Daryl and you refuse. I can't be friends with someone who continually tears down the man I love."

Michael winced, "You can't possibly love him. You barely know him."

She smiled gently, "I know what I know. Goodbye Michael."

"Amelia, wait!" he grabbed her arm and spun her around. "I'm sorry. I can't help how I feel about you but I promise to try and be better behaved."

She pulled her arm free with a gentle tug, "I appreciate that Michael but I think it's best if we don't talk. Maybe in a while we can try and be friends again but right now you need to leave us alone. Can you do that for me? If you care about me as much as you say you do, will you stay away from me? "

He nodded glumly and she turned and left the main lodge.

Once outside she stopped and leaned against the building of the lodge, feeling the rough logs biting into her back. She closed her eyes and took a few deep, shuddering breaths. She hated fighting with the people she cared about but she knew that this time it was necessary.

"Hey. What ya doin'?" a familiar voice rasped as hands- warm, hard hands - circled her waist and tugged her forward gently.

She smiled and opened her eyes. "Looking for you."

"Oh yeah?" Daryl grinned as he took her hand and started to lead her back to their cabin.

"Yeah." She grinned back at him before looking around, "Where's Merle?"

"I got him set up in my old cabin." He rolled his eyes, "He was complainin' about the bed when I left."

As they climbed the steps of the porch, she paused on the top step, "Do you want to go and spend some time with him? I don't mind."

"Nah. I'll see him later." He pulled her into the cabin and shut the door firmly behind them. She led him into the kitchen and leaned back against the counter, pulling him against her until he was nestled between her legs. "I've missed you." He whispered.

She shivered as his hands moved to her head and he carefully unpinned her braid. It fell to the middle of her back and he turned her and began to unbraid her hair gently. Once it was unbraided and falling nearly to her waist in long waves, he gathered up a handful of it and buried his face in it, inhaling deeply.

"Middle of the damn apocalypse, no showers, and barely any water and yer hair still smells good." He dropped her hair and pulled her back against him, burying his face in her neck and reaching around to cup her breasts. "_You _smell good – like wild roses." He whispered shyly.

He slid his hands inside her shirt and undid the front clasp of her bra, freeing her breasts. She moaned when he lightly flicked her nipples the way he knew she liked, and she ground her ass against his crotch.

He groaned in response and trailed a path of light kisses down her neck, his hands squeezing and caressing her breasts. Carefully he helped her ease out of her shirt before pulling her bra down her arms and leaving it on the counter.

"How's your shoulder?" he asked.

"It's sore." She admitted.

"We can wait until later." He pulled back a little from her.

She pushed her butt back into him, "Maybe you can Daryl Dixon but I certainly can't." She looked over her shoulder at him, "Take off your clothes."

He grinned, "Right here?"

She nodded, "Yep. I want to see you naked."

As he quickly shed out of his clothes she moved to the bed and pulled a condom from the bedside table. She wiggled out of her jeans and underwear and walked back to him as he dropped his clothes on the floor of the kitchen.

He stared at her body appreciatively and she put a little sashay into her hips as she strolled towards him. She pressed her body against his and he kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth so she could suck on it. She could feel his cock pressing against her, the moisture it was leaving on her, and she turned in his arms and rubbed her ass up and down against him. He moaned and clamped his hands down on her hips, holding her steady against him, and began to kiss and suckle the sensitive skin on her neck and shoulder. He trailed one hand down her stomach and over her soft curls and she immediately parted her legs so he could run his fingers over her.

"You're already so wet Amelia." He groaned against her shoulder.

"You do that to me." She whispered. She placed her hand over his and began to move his fingers in small circles against her clit. In minutes she was moaning and tossing her head back and forth. He stopped, forcing a low whimper of need from her throat, and moved his hand back up to her breast.

"Soon." He breathed. He started to tug her towards the bed but she dug her heels in and smiled wickedly at him.

"Right here." She whispered and leaned over the table, bracing herself on her stomach.

Daryl inhaled sharply at the sight of her pale ass and when she spread her legs and he could see her glistening pink folds, he found himself fumbling to rip open the condom package.

She laughed, "Need some help back there big fella?"

He finally got the thin rubber on without ripping it and her laughter turned into a long, slow moan when he pulled her legs farther apart and entered her with one hard thrust.

"Yes, like that." She whispered when he held her waist and started to move with long, slow strokes. He pulled back, nearly out of her, and she moaned and shoved her ass back against him, forcing his cock fully into her. They both cried out and he tried to keep some sort of control as she pushed herself up off the table and, bracing herself with one hand against its flat surface, began to rock her body back and forth on his cock. She tightened her muscles around him and he bit his lip, nearly coming right there.

"Amelia, stop!" he groaned.

Panting she did as he asked but he could feel her warmth quivering around him. He reached around her to cup one breast, lightly pinching her nipple until she gasped before sliding his fingers down her stomach to the center of her. He rubbed her clit and began to move back and forth with long, hard thrusts.

"Oh God," she cried out, arching her back as she came against his hand and he quickly followed her, crying her name in his raspy voice before collapsing against her on the table. He kissed the back of her shoulder and then pulled away from her, tossing the condom in the garbage before picking her up and carrying her to the bed. She sighed contently in his arms, kissing his neck and his shoulder as he placed her in the bed. He crawled in beside her and spooned her back, wrapping one hard arm around her waist and cupping her breast.

"I love you Daryl." She murmured.

"Love ya too." He replied.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

"You don't have to go you know. We have plenty of food from the run to the town." Amelia frowned at Daryl.

He nodded, "I know but it would be good if we could find fresh meat. It'll make that food last longer."

She shivered and stared up at the sky. It was a clear blue and the air was crisp and cold, she could see her breath puffing out like little plumes of smoke. "What if it storms?"

"It's not going to storm and we won't be gone long. If we can't find anything in a few hours, we'll come back." He reassured her.

She tried one last time. "What about Walkers?"

He squeezed her arm comfortingly, "There's five of us." He glanced over his shoulder at Merle, Isaac, Ethan and Scott. "If anything happens, that's more than enough to take care of the problem." He grinned at her, "And besides, we can always climb trees."

She didn't smile back, "Please be careful. Promise me."

"I will." He glanced around self-consciously and then dropped a brief, warm kiss on her mouth.

"Jee-sus Darylina. We ain't got all day for you to be fuckin' around with yer woman." Merle hollered.

"Shut up Merle." Daryl grumbled. He squeezed her hand once more and then left with the others, glancing back to wave at her, before disappearing into the trees.

Amelia sighed and trudged towards the main lodge. She headed towards the main fireplace where a bunch of the women had gathered. She sat down beside Maggie who smiled and patted her knee, "He'll be fine."

"I know. I just hate this." She sighed again and stared moodily into the fire. Jacob and Ellie were lying on the floor in front of the fire, colouring in picture books from the craft cupboard and whispering to each other. Lori was sitting in one of the armchairs, wrapped in a blanket, reading a book from the bookstore Amelia had raided. Carol had found a pair of knitting needles in one of the cabins and after unraveling a sweater that had too many holes to wear, she was patiently teaching Julie how to knit a scarf. Hannah was curled up in the armchair closest to the fire; she had her arms wrapped around her knees and she was staring silently into the fire. It had been about a week and a half since the two groups had joined together and Amelia thought this was the first time she had seen Hannah in the main lodge. She had been sticking to her cabin for everything but meals and even during the first day or two had skipped eating with the group. Carol or Amelia had taken her meals to her and she had assured them she was only trying to follow Hershel's orders about staying quiet.

When she had started to join them on a regular basis for meals she had been quiet and almost withdrawn. Amelia noticed how careful she was to avoid both Rick and Lori even though she had to be aware that Rick had moved out of the cabin he shared with Lori. The one time she had accidentally bumped into Rick while coming out of the large walk-in pantry, she had flushed scarlet and muttered an apology before turning and fleeing back into the pantry.

Amelia had confided in Carol one day that she was worried about Hannah and how quiet she was but Julie, overhearing them, had reassured her. "She's always that quiet Amelia. She's like the quietest chick I know." Julie shrugged. "She's friendly and everyone likes her; she just doesn't say much you know?"

Amelia had nodded in understanding. She had been worried that her talk with Hannah had come too late. Worried that Hannah already felt something for Rick she shouldn't and it was comforting to know that she was just naturally a quiet person. The only time she really seemed comfortable was when she was with Ellie or Jacob. She was a natural with children and they often climbed into her lap for cuddling or insisted she play games with them. Even Carl seemed to like her. Nearly every night before retiring to their own cabins, she played a card game or two with him. Sometimes Frank joined them, and Glen and Maggie. Hell one time Carl had even convinced Daryl to play a game of "Go Fish" with them but the few times Carl cajoled his father into joining them, Amelia was certain Hannah deliberately lost the game quickly before excusing herself.

She stopped by Hannah's cabin every day and they had begun the slow, careful process of becoming friends. Although still quiet, Hannah was opening up more and more, especially when it was just the two of them and Amelia had discovered she had a healthy sense of humor.

"Where is everyone else?" she asked Maggie.

"Let's see." Maggie started ticking off her fingers, "Dad and Beth are at their cabin. I think Dad's trying to teach Beth how to sew stitches; he thinks it's better if more people than just him and Melissa have some medical training. Michael and Jeremy are on watch, Frank's in the kitchen making his famous spaghetti sauce, Carl and Rick are at his cabin, Sara's having a nap, and Melissa and T-Dog are," she paused and grinned at Amelia, "napping too. Did I miss anyone?"

Amelia smiled at her. "Just Glen."

Maggie grinned and looked over just as the door of the lodge opened. Glen stood in the doorway and smiled at her and she stood up, smoothing her shirt down over her hips. She looked back at Amelia, "Glen is about to take a nap."

Amelia laughed as Maggie walked to the door and took Glen's hand. He led her out of the lodge, closing the door gently behind her.

She scooted to the far end of the couch and tucked her legs up under her, watching as Carol patiently ripped out the last few rows of knitting that Julie had done and picked up the stitch she had lost. "Keep going." She smiled at Julie.

"It's looking good Jules." Amelia smiled at her as she rolled her eyes in frustration.

"I want it to be perfect." She huffed. "It's a gift."

"Who's the lucky recipient?" Amelia asked.

Julie smiled shyly at her, "Michael. He takes so many watch shifts I thought he could use a scarf to keep him warm."

Amelia smiled a bit stiffly at her, "That's a lovely idea." She knew she was the reason that Michael was volunteering to take so many shifts and a part of her felt terrible about it but she hardened her heart against it. Michael had made his bed, he could lie in it.

Jacob ran over to Carol and leaned against her knees. "Where's daddy?" he asked.

"He went hunting remember honey? He won't be gone long." Carol smiled at him and ran a soft hand over his head.

"Oh. Okay." Jacob wandered over to Hannah and climbed into her lap. He sat with her in companionable silence for a while before Ellie popped up beside the armchair and insisted that both Jacob and Hannah play dolls with her. They agreed and the three of them sat on the floor by the fire, playing with the paper dolls Carol had made for Ellie.

"I hope they're back soon." Amelia tried not to fret.

"It's only been an hour or so." Carol patted her hand gently. "They'll be fine. There are five of them and they're all well aware of the dangers out there."

"I know." Amelia sighed. She watched Hannah playing with the children for a few minutes, "I wonder how Ethan got that scar on his face?" she looked expectantly at Julie but she just shrugged.

"Don't ask me. He seems kind of sensitive about it so I've never asked him." She sighed in exasperation and handed her knitting back to Carol. "I think I dropped a stitch again.

"He was riding his bike as a boy and fell into a barbed wire fence. It tore his cheek open and he almost lost his eye." Carol was squinting at the scarf, trying to find where Julie had dropped the stitch, and she spoke absentmindedly. "He grew up poor and they didn't have money for health insurance so his mom patched him up as best she could. He's lucky he didn't damage any nerves."

She looked up to see Julie and Amelia staring at her. "What? We – we talk sometimes."

Julie arched her eyebrow at her, "You talk do you? When does all this talking happen?" she grinned cheekily as Carol flushed bright red.

"Well, when the kids are playing sometimes we just start talking that's all. It's nothing." Carol was blushing so hard now that she was nearly sweating.

"Oh of course." Julie snickered, "Hey, what you and Ethan do in your own free time is your business. For a white boy he ain't half-bad looking." She grinned and began to sing softly under her breath, "Bow, chicka, bow, bow..." while gyrating her hips.

Carol smacked her gently on the arm, "Stop that right now." She handed her knitting back. "You need to concentrate less on my personal life and more on your knitting." She chided her gently and Julie laughed and slung one arm around her neck.

"Okay, okay. But you have to admit, this is way more interesting than knitting."

"What you see there little brother?" Merle leaned over Daryl's shoulder and peered at the ground.

"Tracks." Daryl grunted.

"Deer tracks?" Isaac asked hopefully.

"No. Bear tracks." Daryl stood and scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Yer gettin' soft - losin' yer tracking skills ya idiot." Merle laughed. "All the bears are tucked into their warm little beds this time of the year.

Daryl shrugged, "Whatever Merle. These are bear tracks."

Ethan stepped forward, "How fresh are they?"

Daryl kneeled and squinted at them, "Pretty damn fresh actually."

Ethan looked at Merle, who grinned and pulled a nasty and sharp looking knife from his belt, "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin' Ethan?" He punched Scott on the arm, hard enough to leave a red mark, "You ever have bear before boy?"

Scott shook his head, rubbing his arm and glaring at Merle.

"Well, let's go. Get yer ass movin' little brother – show us the way to dinner." Merle laughed.

"Where are you going Hannah?" Ellie pouted as Hannah stood up and brushed off the seat of her pants.

"I'll be back in a minute Miss Ellie. I just need to run to my cabin." She smiled at the little girl, nodded to the others and left the lodge. She breathed the fresh air deep into her lungs before looking around her. The clearing was empty and glancing furtively around her, she walked quickly away from the lodge and into the woods behind it. She stopped a few feet in and glanced around her again. She could see the lodge behind her but no one could see her through the trees and with a soft sigh, she pulled the pack of cigarettes from her pocket and lit one. She sucked the smoke into her lungs and blew it out in a soft rush. She leaned back against a tree and puffed thoughtfully at the slightly stale cigarette. A small grin crossed her face as she remembered the look on T-Dog's face when she had caught him sneaking a cigarette behind the cabin he shared with Melissa.

"You didn't see this." He grinned nervously at her, "I told Melissa I quit."

She smiled and plucked the cigarette from between his fingers; she inhaled deeply, holding it in her lungs and then blowing out small smoke rings in the space between them.

"Damn girl." T-Dog smiled at her. "I didn't take you for a smoker."

"I get that a lot." She winked at him and took another puff before handing back the cigarette. "Tell you what – you share one of your packs with me and I won't rat you out to Melissa."

T-Dog laughed and pulled a pack from his pocket, tossing it at her. "Take this one. It's only got one missing." He gave her a mock frown, "I'm trusting you to keep my secret now girl."

She took his lighter and lit up her own, "Your secret's safe with me Mr. Dog."

Now she took another deep puff on the cigarette, feeling the welcoming rush of nicotine hitting her bloodstream, and blew the smoke out lazily.

"My dad says you shouldn't smoke." Carl's voice spoke from somewhere to her left and she jumped and dropped the cigarette guiltily onto the ground beside her. She crushed the butt out under her foot and fanned the smoke away from her face.

"Carl, you scared me." She half whispered. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

He shrugged, "I'm sorry. But you shouldn't smoke you know."

"I know." She looked around, "What are you doing out here Carl? I thought you were with your dad."

"I was. He's taking a nap."

"Well, we need to get back. You absolutely cannot be wandering around out here by yourself. It isn't safe."

He shrugged again. He was wearing his father's Sheriff's hat and he tipped it to her, "I can take care of myself ma'am."

She couldn't help but laugh and put her arm around his thin shoulders. "I know you can but I'd feel better if we both went back to the lodge. What were you doing out here?" she asked again.

He brightened, "You won't believe what I found? C'mon Hannah – come look at it with me." He ducked out from under her arm and ran further into the woods.

"Carl no!" she said in a low voice, "We aren't going in there by ourselves."

"It's real close. I promise. Please, just five minutes." He wheedled and sighing, she followed him deeper into the woods.

"Five minutes Carl – that's it."

He skipped ahead of her and after only a few minutes he stopped and crouched beside a fallen log. "Look at this Hannah." He brushed away some dried and half-frozen leaves as she knelt beside him.

"Wow." She breathed. A large flower, its petals were a brilliant, shocking pink, was growing in the shade of the fallen log.

"Why is it blooming?" Carl whispered. "I thought flowers only bloomed in the spring and summer."

She shook her head, "I don't know. It's beautiful though."

"I was going to pick it for mom but then I decided I should leave it. It didn't seem right to pick it you know?"

She nodded, "I think you made the right choice Carl." She stood up and brushed the bits of dirt and dried leaves from her knees. "Let's get back okay?"

Carl nodded, "Sure. Thanks for looking at the flower with me."

She smiled, "You bet." She reached out and squeezed his thin shoulder then froze as a loud rustling came from behind them.

She and Carl turned towards the sound and she pulled him back against her, "Get behind me Carl." She whispered and pushed his thin body behind hers. She was reaching for the knife on her belt, reminding herself to strike for the head, when the bushes parted and a large black bear stumbled out from them. Its small brown eyes stared into hers and she heard Carl suck in his breath behind her.

"We have to run Hannah!" he whispered and she clutched his arm in her hand tightly.

"No Carl - don't run. It's much faster than us. We're going to back up very, very slowly." She whispered. She moved her hand down his arm until she was holding his hand in hers, never taking her eyes from the bear. It looked very large to her, at least six feet tall, and it stared almost frozenly at her. It seemed as surprised to see them as they were it, and she began to push Carl backwards, moving slowly, praying that it would simply turn around and lumber off.

It lifted its snout to the sky and roared so loudly that Hannah's ears started ringing. She knew instantly that the bear meant to charge them and she stared frantically around. There was a large tree about 5 feet to their left and she pushed Carl towards it. "Carl! Go! Towards that tree – climb!" she shouted.

Carl turned and fled for the tree as the bear lowered its front feet to the ground and charged after them. Hannah was right behind him and as Carl grabbed the lowest limb she placed her hand on his butt and shoved him up as high as she could. He clambered on to the branch and then leaped gracefully to the limb above him as she grabbed the lowest limb and yanked herself up. She could hear the bear roaring behind her, the sound terrifyingly close, and as Carl climbed nimbly, moving higher up the tree, she seized the limb above her head and using the trunk, scrambled to climb to the next branch. She was a bit too slow and there was a sudden searing pain in her left calf as the bear swiped at her with one large paw. It almost knocked her from the limb but she hung on grimly and forced herself to swing her legs up and over the large, thick limb. She clung to it limply, breathing heavily, as the bear snarled and clawed at the trunk of the tree. Bark was shredding from the trunk under its heavy claws and she glanced down at her leg. Blood was soaking through her jeans, she could feel little rivulets of liquid running into her shoe and she was instantly nauseous.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She shouted as the bear leaped and almost managed to grab onto the bottom limb.

"Hannah, you're bleeding!" Carl cried from his spot high above her.

"I know honey. I'm okay." Holding on to the side of the tree firmly with one hand, she undid her belt and pulled it from the loops of her jeans. Balancing carefully, she wrapped the belt twice around her leg just above her knee and pulled it tight, buckling it in the last hole of the belt. She glanced upwards. The next limb up was just above her head and gripping it tightly, she pulled herself to her feet. Her leg buckled beneath her, pain ripping through it, and she cried out as the bear paced around the tree, pushing on it and roaring in rage and hunger.

She balanced on one foot, panting harshly as Carl reached down and held his hand out to her, "Take my hand Hannah."

She shook her head, "No honey. I'm too heavy for you. I just need a minute."

The bear slammed it's large, heavy body into the tree. It shuddered and swayed beneath Carl and Hannah and they both shrieked in alarm as the bear grabbed the trunk and shook it fiercely.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Rick was just pulling his shirt over his head when the radio on the table squawked static.

"Say again Michael?" he released the button and listened carefully.

"Rick, I know this sounds strange but – "Michael's voice was thin and cutting in and out. "It looks like Carl and Hannah are in a tree."

"What? They're in a tree?" Rick replied; his tired mind strained to understand what he was hearing.

"Yeah. I mean, I think it's Hannah. I can see Carl pretty clearly but Hannah's below him. Hold on, I'm going to go to the other end of the blind."

There was a long moment of silence and then Michael's voice came back over the radio, his voice now sounding panicky, "Jesus Christ! There's a fucking bear below them."

"What?" Rick shouted into the radio.

"There's a bear. A huge fucking bear - it's shaking the tree!" Michael bellowed into the radio.

"Where? Where are they Michael?" he yelled into the radio.

"Just behind the lodge – they're about 30 feet into the woods." Michael shouted - the radio blaring feedback and static.

Rick dropped the radio and raced out of his cabin, pulling his gun from the holster on his belt. As he ran across the clearing, T-Dog was leaving his cabin and without pausing, he ran after Rick, pulling his own gun out.

Hannah clung to the limb as the bear shook the tree again. "Hang on Carl!" she shouted up to him and he nodded at her, his face pale and strained looking.

With another loud scream of rage, the bear attacked the tree with all four claws and started to climb.

"Shit, oh shit!" Hannah cried. "Carl, climb higher – go!"

She gritted her teeth against the pain in her leg and yanked herself up to the limb above her. The rough bark of the branch bit into her stomach and she cried out with pain as she swung her injured leg up and over the limb. She straddled it, staring down as the bear reached the lowest limb and grabbed on to it with its front paws.

Before it could lift itself onto the branch, an arrow buried itself into its side and the bear roared with pain and rage, dropping on to the ground with a heavy thud. Three more arrows hit it in rapid success, one in its back, the second through its shoulder and the third through the back of the skull. The bear collapsed forward and was still.

"Nice shot little brother."

Hannah had never been so happy to hear Merle's voice in her life. She watched as he approached the bear cautiously, kicking at its hide with one boot. The bear didn't move. Daryl's last arrow had killed it instantly.

Merle looked up and grinned, "Well lookie here – we caught ourselves a pretty little wood sprite."

"Shut up Merle." She glared at him as there was another rustling sound. The men turned, their weapons raised but Rick shouted, "It's Rick - don't shoot!" before pushing his way clear of the undergrowth. T-Dog was right behind him and he stopped and bent over, hands on his knees, breathing deeply as Rick ran to the tree.

"Carl? Carl! Are you okay?"

Carl's face peered down, "I'm fine Dad. Hannah's hurt though." He began to climb down the tree, moving with the confidence of a monkey as Rick watched anxiously below.

"Carl - be careful; go more slowly."

Carl rolled his eyes at Hannah as he reached the limb she was straddling and sat down next to her. "Are you okay Hannah?"

"I'm fine kid. Thanks." She smiled shakily at him.

He reached down and pulled at the leg of her jeans. He peered at her calf, "Oh gross. It's really bleeding."

"Okay, okay." She muttered, "I don't need to hear about it."

"There are like four big scratches down your leg Hannah and they're all oozing blood."

She swallowed, "Carl, if you don't stop talking right now I am going to pass out and fall out of this tree."

"Do you want me to help you get out of the tree?" he held his hand out to her.

"Thanks but no. You go first, be careful."

"I will!" he said cheerfully. He climbed down the rest of the tree with ease and dropped into his father's waiting arms. Rick hugged him tightly before setting him down.

"Carl, what are you doing out here?" he shook him a bit roughly.

"I was showing Hannah a flower dad. It was really pretty, I thought mom might like it but Hannah and I decided we shouldn't pick it."

Rick shook his head and pulled Carl against him into another rough hug. "You have to think Carl. You know you can't just go exploring. You know that."

"I'm sorry dad." Carl said contritely. He stared down at the bear at the base of the tree, "Can I touch the bear?"

Daryl nodded, "Go ahead. It's dead."

Rick stepped back and stared at Hannah still sitting in the tree. "Okay Hannah, your turn."

She shook her head, "Actually, I'm quite comfortable up here. I think I'll just stay here for a while. You guys go on without me."

Rick frowned, "Hannah, you have to come down. You're bleeding and you need medical attention."

Ethan brushed past him, "Hold on Hannah, I'm coming up." He climbed the tree quickly and within minutes he was standing on the limb below Hannah. He placed a warm hand on her leg.

"Hello Hannah."

"Hey Ethan." She smiled at him, "It's pretty up here huh?"

He looked around, "Sure is. Say, what do you think about maybe getting you out of this tree?"

She lowered her voice, "Yeah about that – I can't really stand on my leg and also, although I'm not about to look at it, I'm quite certain there is currently a fair amount of blood dripping down my leg, and just thinking about it is making me feel faint."

She smiled almost cheerily at him, "So I think I'll just stay here. Could you have someone send me up a bear sandwich and maybe a beer?"

Ethan laughed and pulled her against him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. She breathed deeply and tried not to cry as he stroked her hair.

"Here's what we're going to do baby," Ethan whispered into her ear, "I'm going to help you down on to this next branch. Don't put any weight on your sore leg okay? Stand on your good leg and I'll hold you up."

He looked down at the men below him, "I'm going to help Hannah down from the tree; can one of you be ready to grab her when I get her to the lowest branch?"

Rick nodded and Ethan gave her another hard squeeze. "Okay Hannah-Banana, what do you say we get the fuck out of this tree and go find that beer you were talking about."

She nodded and eased away from him. She smiled and kissed his scarred cheek and then his mouth. "I'm sorry Ethan. Thank you for helping me."

He winked at her, "Nothing to be sorry about. Now, keep your arms around me, here we go." Moving slowly he pulled her from the branch of the tree until she was standing on her good leg beside him. The branch creaked alarmingly beneath them.

"Easy-peasy." Ethan smiled at her and helped her sit down on the limb. He moved down to the lowest limb and reached up for her. "Just one more time baby." He put his arms around her and she clung to his shoulders and slowly slid her body off the limb and onto the branch beside him.

Ethan helped her sit down and Rick was there, reaching up for her, and Ethan eased her small body into his arms. He held her for a minute against him, "You okay?" he asked, his green eyes staring into hers.

She nodded and although all she wanted to do was put her arms around him and rest her head on his shoulder, she resisted. He set her down carefully and she balanced on her good leg, leaning lightly against him.

Daryl approached Rick, "We're gonna need to gut and clean this thing but we shouldn't do it in the camp. If you wanna take Carl and Hannah back to the camp, the rest of us will start cleaning." He glanced over at T-Dog, "Can you stick around and keep watch for Walkers?"

T-Dog nodded and Rick motioned for Carl to follow him. He turned to Hannah, "Can you walk?"

She shrugged, "I can probably hop."

He rolled his eyes, looking so much like Carl that she almost smiled, before sweeping his arm under her legs and lifting her up against him. He headed for the lodge, Carl walking ahead of them.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

"What happened?" Amelia was just leaving the lodge as Rick entered the clearing with Hannah in his arms.

"There was a bear." Carl crowed excitedly at her. "It chased Hannah and me up a tree and then Daryl killed it with his crossbow."

"Daryl?" Amelia stopped. "Is he okay?"

Rick nodded, "He's fine. They're gutting and cleaning the bear about 30 feet behind the lodge. You can go back there if you'd like."

"Ugh. No thanks." Amelia replied.

"What happened to Hannah?" she noticed for the first time, the blood dripping down Hannah's leg.

"The bear tried to eat me for dinner." Hannah gave her a weak grin.

"Amelia, can you grab Hershel? I'm going to take Hannah to her cabin. Carl, go and stay with your mother." Rick crossed the clearing and headed for Hannah's cabin as Carl went to the main lodge and Amelia ran to Hershel's cabin.

Rick placed Hannah on her bed and went to the bathroom. He came back with her bath towel and wrapped it carefully around her leg, tucking it in close as she flinched. He sat down beside her.

"That should help with the bleeding. We'll keep the tourniquet on for now until Hershel gets here okay?" he said.

"Thanks for helping me Rick. I appreciate it."

"Thank you for saving my son's life." He stared so intensely at her that she squirmed a bit.

"You're welcome." She folded her hands together on her lap and stared down at them.

"I mean it." He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Carl would have died today if it hadn't been for you. I won't ever forget that."

She stared at him and before she could stop it, her hand was smoothing across his brow. He caught his breath at her touch but didn't pull away.

"You look sad." She whispered.

He shrugged, "Just tired."

She ran her fingers over his cheekbone, "Are you sure?"

He nodded and his gaze dropped to her mouth. Without speaking he ran his thumb over her mouth. Her lips parted under his touch and she could hear the dry click of his throat when he swallowed.

"Are you with Ethan?" he whispered.

"What? Why would you think that?" she asked.

"In the tree he called you baby and you hugged him and kissed him - on the mouth."

"He was rescuing me from the tree."

"I've noticed you like to kiss the people who rescue you." The corner of his mouth twitched upwards as she blushed but made no reply.

"So, you're not with him?" His thumb continued to stroke across her bottom lip and it was seriously affecting her ability to think clearly.

"No. We're just friends." She licked her lip, the tip of her tongue brushing against his thumb, and his eyes darkened to the colour of jade.

He leaned in and Hannah forgot about the pain in her leg as his warm breath brushed her face. "Are we friends Hannah?"

She frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You and Ethan are friends and you kissed him on the mouth. I want to know if you and I are friends." She was fascinated by his lips and as he slid his hand back and cupped the back of her head, she nodded.

"Yes, we're friends."

"Good." He breathed against her mouth "Because I really want to kiss you."

He kissed her softly, his lips barely brushing against hers and she moaned. He tugged her head forward and kissed her again. This time he moaned when she sucked his lower lip into her mouth. She cupped his face as he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth and stroking hers.

She leaned into him, her hands moving down to clutch at his shirt as he held her head tightly and kissed her forcefully. She fell back on to the bed, pulling him down with her and he leaned over her, his hands on either side of her head, and kissed her until she was breathless.

Hannah ran her hands down his upper body and then slipped them under his shirt. She ran them across his back, feeling the muscles rippling under his smooth skin as he leaned down farther and placed a path of warm kisses down her neck. His facial hair tickled the sensitive skin and she giggled and twisted slightly underneath him. He stopped and stared at her, a small smile on his face.

"Sorry. I'm kind of ticklish." She whispered.

"How ticklish?" he ran a gentle finger slowly down her ribs, his smile widening when she squirmed.

Before he could tickle her again, she moved her hands around to his front and ran them across his chest. He inhaled sharply when her thumb ran over his nipple and she gave him her own mischievous smile. She pinched his nipple lightly and the amusement dropped from his face and was replaced with such an intense look of desire that her breath caught in her throat.

He kissed her fiercely, the combination of his lips and teeth and tongue created waves of desire deep in her belly. He cupped her breast through her shirt, his fingers tugging and pulling at her hardened nipple and she moaned into his mouth.

Her jeans suddenly felt too tight, rubbing and chafing her in a not entirely unpleasant way, and she reached up and tugged on his hand, pushing it towards her thighs. He ran his hand between her legs and rubbed her through the denim of the jeans. She gasped and arched her hips towards him, ignoring the pain it caused in her leg, as he used his thumb to rub slow circles against the heavy fabric.

The door of the cabin opened, "Hannah, you need to take these. Hershel is on his way but these pills are going to help numb the pain – oh." Amelia stopped in the doorway as Rick pulled away from Hannah and stood up.

"I'm sorry." He muttered as he pushed past Amelia and went out the door.

Amelia shut the door behind him and went to the kitchen to get Hannah some water. Hannah, her face burning, straightened her shirt and tried to calm her breathing. She suspected that Amelia was giving her some extra time and she was grateful, but she still had a flush to her cheeks when Amelia finally approached the bed and sat down gingerly beside her.

"Hey." She smiled at Hannah.

"Hello." Her lips felt swollen and bruised from Rick's kisses and she willed herself not to touch them.

"Sorry I interrupted."

Hannah flushed, "No, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Amelia frowned at her.

"I told you I was going to stay away from him."

Amelia shrugged and squeezed her shoulder, "You're a grown woman Hannah. I was just giving you some friendly advice; it doesn't mean you have to follow it."

"But I was following it! I swear!" Hannah grabbed Amelia's hand. She realized suddenly that both Amelia's approval of her and their budding friendship were extremely important to her and she couldn't stop the hot tears from leaking down her cheeks.

"I was staying away from him! I don't look at him, I don't talk to him. I didn't mean for this to happen." She squeezed Amelia's hand, "Please believe me."

Amelia leaned forward and hugged her, "Honey, I do believe you. Of course I do. I've seen it for myself."

She pulled back and wiped at the tears on Hannah's face, "But I meant it when I said you were a grown woman and could do what you wanted Hannah. The only reason I said anything to you was because I didn't want you going through the same guilt that I did."

She frowned, "Of course, now that Rick is technically on the market again…"

Hannah shook her head, "He's not. He and Lori will get back together – this is just a hiccup. People have temporary separations all the time. "

Amelia looked thoughtfully at her, "I'm not so sure about that. Lori`s been talking a bit to Carol and I and from the sounds of it – " she stopped and shook her head. "I'm sorry – Lori wouldn't want me talking to others about any of this."

Hannah sighed, "It's fine. I don't want to know any of it. I don't want to talk about Rick or even think about him. What just happened was just him saying thanks for saving Carl's life."

Amelia burst out laughing, "Wow – Rick sure has a friendly way of saying thank you."

Hannah blushed again and Amelia snorted back the laughter, "I'm sorry sweetie. I know you don't find this particularly amusing but please remind me never to do anything nice for Rick. If that's how he says thank you, Daryl will knock his block off."

She laughed again and despite her embarrassment, Hannah couldn't help but giggle with her.

"Shit! Here, take these pills right now." Amelia handed her two pills with a glass of water and Hannah swallowed them obediently.

"What are they?" she asked.

"They'll help with the pain. You're in for some more stitches and I think Hershel wants to use you as a guinea pig for Beth to practice her stitching technique." Amelia smiled at her. "Feel free to say no."

Hannah shrugged, "Yeah, my supermodel days are over so might as well let the girl practice – it can't be any worse than the one on my side."

Amelia tugged the side of her shirt up, "Huh – it didn't turn out that great did it?"

Hannah laughed, "Gee thanks."

"Just keeping it real honey." Amelia ran her fingers over the stitches that were still embedded in Hannah's pale flesh. The wound had been stitched and re-stitched so many times that the skin around it was puckered and she could see a bunch of tiny scars from the original stitches. "When do you get these ones out?"

"Today or tomorrow." Hannah said.

"Well, at least it was healed enough that it didn't rip again when you were climbing that tree." She glanced down at Hannah's leg. There were small spots of blood seeping through the towel that Rick had wrapped around it and she lifted the edge of it to peer underneath.

"How's your leg feeling?" she asked Hannah who was staring grimly at the ceiling.

"Curiously enough, it's pretty numb. I'm not sure if that's a good sign or a bad sign."

"Maybe the tourniquet is too tight." Amelia started to unbuckle the belt as Hershel opened the door of the cabin followed by Beth.

"Hello Hannah." He smiled at her as he approached the bed.

"Hello Hershel. Hello Beth." Hannah replied.

Hershel unwrapped the towel and motioned for Amelia to keep the belt pulled tight over her leg. Beth handed him a pair of scissors and he cut the shredded leg of her jeans opened.

Beth gasped and Amelia let out a low whistle. "Yikes." She whispered.

"Is it that bad?" Hannah asked.

"Well, it's not that great." Amelia patted her arm.

"You should see the other guy though." Hannah laughed a little. The pills she had taken earlier were definitely hitting her system. She had a lovely floating feeling and even the thought that her leg was horribly mangled wasn't that upsetting to her.

Amelia stared at her, "You are so high right now."

Hannah laughed again, "Am not."

Amelia rolled her eyes and turned to Hershel. "Well, what do you think?"

Hershel, who was leaning forward and examining Hannah's leg with a flashlight, sat up and shut the light off. "Actually, it might not be as bad as it looks. The slashes go from her knee to her ankle but they don't seem that deep. Look here Beth –" he turned the flashlight back on and shone it into one of the cuts on Hannah's leg. "See how the skin is torn open? He used his finger to push the flap of skin back, "But this smooth part right here is her muscle and it's not torn at all. If we're lucky the rest of these slashes will be the same and we'll basically just be sewing up her skin. It looks like it just grazed her."

"That bear got lucky in even grazing me. I'm like a ninja – fast and deadly." Hannah pretended to karate chop Amelia in the back, "Ninja..." she whispered under her breath.

Amelia laughed, "Just lie back and relax Hannah."

Hershel motioned to Amelia to loosen the belt, "Let's see what happens when the tourniquet is loosened."

Amelia loosened the belt and the three of them leaned over Hannah's leg. The slashes began to bleed, but only a little and Hershel grunted in satisfaction. "That's a good sign. She's lucky it got her in the calf where there's more meat."

"I've always been blessed with meaty calves." Hannah said solemnly. "It's because I was a gymnast."

"Really?" Amelia peered at her.

"No - not really." Hannah giggled.

Amelia shook her head, "I think the pills have kicked in."

Hershel nodded. "Okay, let's get this cleaned and sewn up."

"Let's do this!" Hannah cheered and clapped her hands.

Amelia laughed again, "My God, I wish we'd had these drugs when I was stabbed."

Hershel raised his eyebrows, "Me too Amelia, me too."


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Hannah had just finished brushing her hair when there was a knock at her door.

"Come in." she called. It had been two days since the bear incident and Hershel was finally letting her out of her bed to join the others in the lodge. She looked at her leg. Hershel had taken the bandage off this morning and instructed her to let the cuts breathe. Three of the four slashes were sewn up with small, neat stitches; the fourth one, done by Beth, looked a little sloppier but it didn't bother Hannah.

Earlier this morning as Amelia helped her bathe and dress, she inspected Hannah's leg carefully.

"What do you think?" Hannah asked her.

"It looks great. You'll hardly scar." Amelia gave her a bright, false smile and Hannah burst out laughing.

"You're a terrible liar Amelia."

"I know right? Sorry dude, but your leg isn't going to win any beauty contests." She leaned in and examined it again. "I think Beth stitched her initials into your leg."

"Shut up!" Hannah pushed Amelia away from her leg. "You're not helping."

"Don't worry about it. Guys dig chicks with scars." She squeezed Hannah's knee and stood up from the bed. "I'll send Ethan over to carry you to the lodge okay?"

Hannah nodded. "Sure. Although I could probably walk if I leaned on you."

"Nope. Hershel says to stay off of it for at least another day." Amelia walked to the door. "Seriously Hannah, your leg doesn't look that bad and I'm glad you're okay. It's not every day a person survives a bear attack."

Now, Hannah looked up at the door, the welcoming smile on her face faltering as Daryl walked into the room.

"Oh um, hi Daryl." She stammered a bit.

"Hey. Amelia sent me to get ya."

"I thought she was sending Ethan?" Hannah tried to sound casual.

He shrugged, "I told her I would do it."

As he approached the bed, Hannah could feel her heart beat increasing. Being alone with Daryl made her nervous; the last time she had been alone with him he had threatened her with a knife.

He stood beside the bed and cleared his throat nervously. "I owe ya an apology."

Hannah stared at him and he bit the side of his thumb. "I'm sorry I scared ya when Amelia was missing. The truth of the matter is I wasn't thinkin' straight but I shouldn't have done what I done."

He looked so miserable that Hannah felt sorry for him. "I understand why you did it Daryl. Amelia is pretty amazing. But thank you for the apology."

He nodded and scooped her up from the bed. As she put her arm around his shoulders and he carried her to the door, she realized she wasn't afraid of him anymore.

"Hey Hannah – can I look at your leg?" Carl stood by the arm of the couch and stared hopefully at her.

"Sure." She was sitting on the couch, her leg propped up on an ottoman, and she pulled off the blanket that was covering her legs. Carl knelt down and stared at the underside of her leg.

"Cool!" he exclaimed, popping back up and smiling delightedly at her.

Amelia, who was sitting beside her, nudged her arm, "Told you guys dig chicks with scars."

Rick, sitting in the rocking chair closest to the fire was trying to immerse himself in the book on his lap but time and time again he found himself staring at Hannah. When she threw the blanket back to show Carl her leg, his breath quickened at the sight of her slender, pale thighs. Even though it was obvious she was still underweight, he couldn't stop wondering what it would be like to run his hands over her smooth, pale skin. How it would feel to have her under him, those pale thighs wrapped around his waist while he – his thoughts were interrupted when he saw Lori leave the kitchen and head to where Hannah was sitting on the couch with Amelia, Carl still leaning against the arm of the couch beside them.

"Hey mom." Carl smiled at his mother and she ruffled his hair.

"Hey honey."

"Did you see Hannah's leg?"

"No, I haven't. Carl, could you give Hannah and I a minute, I want to talk to her privately."

"Sure." He wandered off to the kitchen and Lori stared after him fondly before looking back at Hannah.

Hannah smiled nervously at her as Lori glanced pointedly at Amelia. Amelia squeezed Hannah's arm and stood up, "I'll be back in five."

"Hi Lori." Hannah covered her legs back up with the blanket.

"Hello Hannah. I wanted to speak to you for a moment, if that's okay."

"Sure." She gave her another nervous smile.

Lori squatted down beside her, "I wanted to say thank you for saving Carl's life."

Hannah stared at her earnestly, "You don't have to thank me. I'm just glad that I was there and –"

"I'm grateful for what you did," Lori interrupted her, "but I also want you to know that what you did was incredibly stupid and I think it's best if you stay away from Carl."

Hannah's face burned, she felt like a small child being scolded, "Lori, I'm sorry, I don't know what you – "

Lori held her hand up, "Carl's a child Hannah. I can understand him bending the rules and pushing the boundaries but why on earth you would follow him into the woods instead of telling him to go back to the lodge is beyond me. If you had made the smart decision, neither he nor you would have been in any danger from that bear. Do you understand that?"

"I tried but he was so excited to show me something and I didn't want –"

"You're not a parent Hannah and I know you're not Carl's parent and it's not your job to look out for him, but a responsible adult would have realized the danger in allowing a child to just wander around the woods."

Lori paused and pulled her hair back from her face, "I don't expect you to babysit my child or be responsible for him but I do expect you to make smart decisions if you're put in a position to stop him from being in a potentially dangerous situation. I'm sorry, but until I know you have my son's best interests in mind, I need you to stay away from him."

Hannah nodded. "I understand perfectly."

"Thanks." Lori stood up and left the lodge as Amelia plopped back down on the couch beside her.

"What was that about?" she put her arm around Hannah's thin shoulders, "Hannah, honey – what's wrong?"

Hannah shook her head, "Nothing. I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Amelia leaned forward.

"I'm fine. Listen, do you think you could find Daryl or Ethan? My leg hurts; I'd like to go back to my cabin and lie down."

"Of course honey." Amelia waved at Daryl who was sitting at the kitchen table with Merle. She frowned when Rick knelt beside Hannah.

"What did Lori say to you?" Rick asked in a low voice.

Without looking at him, Hannah shook her head, "It's not important."

"Hannah, tell me right now what she said." He repeated through gritted teeth.

"Nothing that wasn't the truth." She whispered.

Daryl had approached them and Amelia gave him a worried look, "Daryl, can you help Hannah back to her cabin?"

He nodded and she pushed at Rick's shoulder; he was still kneeling beside Hannah, "Rick, you need to leave. Hannah's leg is sore and she needs to rest."

Rick barged into Lori's cabin without bothering to knock. She looked up from the table where she was folding a pile of clothing.

"What did you say to Hannah?" he stalked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

Lori's jaw tightened but she continued to fold the clothes. "I simply asked her to stay away from Carl."

"Stay away from Carl? Lori, she saved his life two days ago."

"Yes, she saved his life, but did you ever stop to think that if she had made the smart choice and made Carl go back to the lodge with her instead of following him into the woods, then neither of them would have been in danger?"

"Are you kidding me Lori? With that kind of logic then you should be telling me to stay away from Carl since I made the dumb choice to have a nap. Carl knows the rules and he broke them. He's old enough to know better." Rick said exasperatedly.

She turned on him, "He's still a child Rick! And Hannah's an adult and should have stopped him. I explained that to her, she agreed and said she would stay away from him. It's done and I don't want to talk about it anymore. I think you should go."

Rick gripped the back of the chair and stared pleadingly at her, "It's been nearly two weeks Lori. I've given you your space and time and yet you're still pushing me away. We have to talk about us; we have to decide what we're going to do and how we're going to fix this."

Lori stopped folding the clothes and looked at him, "Rick, I don't think we can fix this."

When he just stared at her, she sighed, "I know you think this is just about Shane but it isn't. We were having trouble before you were shot, before the world ended, before I thought you were dead. I've stood behind you and supported you, even when I didn't agree with your decisions, but now," she shrugged, "the gap between us is too wide. We can't get back what we had before."

"Yes, we can Lori. We just need to try." He said.

She shook her head, "I don't want to try. And if you're honest with yourself, really honest, I think you'll realize you don't want to try either. It's over Rick – you and I both know it, you just haven't accepted it."

He stared at her for a long moment. Then, without speaking, he slipped his wedding band off, placed it on the table beside the clothes and left the cabin.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Carol stood on her tip-toes and reached for the box of rice on the top shelf. Obviously Lori had put it away and she sighed with frustration as her fingers just scraped the smooth side of the box.

A heavy hand fell on her shoulder and a voice said, "Here, let me help you." She screamed breathlessly, adrenaline filling her veins, and tried to flee but she tripped over her own feet. Before she could fall, Ethan's hands were gripping her arms and holding her steady.

"Shit Ethan!" she whispered, her hand clutching the front of her shirt nervously. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"I'm sorry Carol." He apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you." He reached towards her face and she flinched. She couldn't help it – years of living with Ed had programmed her to automatically expect a blow.

Ethan frowned and he gently wiped the dust from her cheek. "Why do you flinch when I touch you Carol?"

"I don't." She lied.

"You do." He insisted. He reached for her again and although she didn't flinch, her eyes widened and her nostrils flared.

He cupped the back of her neck and ran his thumb over the pulse in her throat. "Please don't be afraid of me." He whispered.

"I'm not." She replied.

"Good." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her mouth. She didn't respond but she didn't pull away either and he kissed her again, urging her to kiss him back.

Carol took a deep breath as Ethan placed light, deliberate kisses on her mouth. She had never been kissed so gently before. He was acting like her mouth was a flower, one that the petals would bruise easily, and the delicate pressure of his mouth on hers was causing a delicious ache in her belly – one she had never experienced before.

Cautiously she kissed him back, the same gentle fleeting kisses he was giving her, and after a few moments she tentatively reached up and ran soft fingers over the scar on his cheek. He groaned in response and the sound brought a fresh fluttering to her stomach. Feeling bold, she parted her lips and gasped when he immediately slipped his tongue into her mouth. He stepped closer, pushing her back until she was pressed against the shelving of food behind her. His hands stroked her sides through the material of her shirt and she clung to his shoulders when he kissed his way down her throat. He licked her exposed collarbone, making her moan, before capturing her mouth again.

Carol shuddered and kissed Ethan back with sudden urgency, their tongues tangling together. "Was it always like this with someone you weren't afraid of?" she wondered hazily. She had never gotten this hot just from kissing Ed and over the years, as he had let himself go and had increased the beatings, she spent most of her days hoping and praying he wouldn't touch her intimately.

Ethan leaned into her, she could feel the hardness below his belt pressing against her and for the first time in years, she felt a timid tremor of lust go through her rather than revulsion. Ethan's hands stroked her upper body, almost but not quite touching her breasts, and she was struck by the ridiculous urge to put her arms around him and simply climb his tall, lean body like a tree. Before she could act on it, Julie walked into the pantry.

"Hey Carol, have you seen the – woops!" she started fanning herself and grinning widely at them as Ethan and Carol sprang guiltily apart.

"Sorry to interrupt your," she paused, "talking time?"

Carol, her cheeks flaming, walked towards her and pulled her from the pantry and into the kitchen. Ethan grabbed the box of rice, placed it on the counter and left as Julie continued to smile broadly.

"Julie, what just happened I –" Carol paused, completely lost for words.

Julie put her hands up, "Hey, I don't need to know the details. Whatever you and Ethan choose to do in the pantry is none of my business."

"It isn't what you think. He was just helping me get some rice and then –" Carol sputtered.

"Getting some rice, is that what you kids are calling it now?" Julie laughed and walked away.

Merle let out a low wolf whistle. "Now there's a little filly I wouldn't mind taking for a ride."

Daryl was standing at the other end of the blind, scanning the woods with binoculars. "What are ya talking about Merle?"

Merle pointed to the clearing where Daryl could see Hannah limping towards the main lodge. "She's small but I bet she'd give one hell of a ride." He grinned at Daryl.

"Cut that shit out Merle." Daryl grumbled before returning to scanning the woods.

"I'm startin' to think yer pussy-whipped little brother." Merle shook his head, "One pretty little bitch opens her legs for ya every night and suddenly yer too good for yer own brother. Maybe ya should – "

Before Merle could finish his sentence, Daryl had shot across the blind and grabbed him by the front of the shirt. He shoved him into the back wall of the blind.

"Ya watch yer mouth about Amelia; do ya hear me Merle?"

Merle laughed - an ugly bitter sound. "Never thought I'd see the day where ya'd turn against me because of some woman."

Daryl relaxed his grip, "I'm not turnin' against ya Merle. I always hated when ya talked about women that way. Just never said anythin' before."

Merle eyed him, "Yer pal the sheriff help you find yer balls did he?"

Daryl rolled his eyes, "Jesus Merle. It ain't like that – it's just," he gestured helplessly, "the world's changed."

Merle glared at him, "Ya think I don't know that? Lost my fucking hand didn't I? Left to rot on a fucking roof wasn't I?"

"We came back for ya Merle. I told ya that."

"Ayuh, ya did. Too little too late though huh?" Merle clapped his hand on Daryl's shoulder.

"Listen up little brother, I don't care who yer fuckin' or how big yer balls have gotten. All I need to know is that ya got my back."

"Of course I do Merle."

Merle looked shrewdly at him, "We're kin Daryl. Remember what daddy told us? Kin stick together, no matter what."

Daryl stared at him, "I remember. I also remember ya said forgive and forget Merle."

Merle paused, there was a hard light in his eyes that made Daryl nervous, "Of course little brother, of course. " He said softly. "I'm a new man."

"Hannah wait up!" Frank's voice called across the clearing to her and she stopped, balancing on her good leg. It was her first day of being allowed to use her leg and it was aching a little just from her short walk from the cabin.

"Hi Frank!" she smiled at the older man as he jogged up to her.

"Hey!" he puffed. "How's your leg?"

"Pretty good today, thanks." They started walking again and she winced a little. "I mean, it's kind of sore today because I'm walking on it but – "

"It's sore? Here, let me carry you." Frank reached for her.

"Oh no – you don't have to –" she let out a little squeal as Frank bent and lifted her into his arms. He began to walk towards the lodge, his round face red with effort.

Afraid he would give himself a heart attack, Hannah patted his shoulder. "Frank really – you can put me down. I'm supposed to be walking on it. I'm too heavy for you to carry this far."

"Oh, I don't mind at all!" he huffed cheerily, "You're just a little bit of a thing." He started carrying her up the steps to the main door of the lodge. Hannah gasped and grabbed his shoulders when he overbalanced and nearly fell back down the stairs.

"Frank please put me down." She begged.

"I got this." His face was nearly purple now. As he reached for the front door, it opened abruptly on its own and Frank, smiling down at Hannah, tripped over the door step and pitched forward. Hannah let out a brief scream as he lost his grip on her and she tumbled out of his arms. She slammed into Rick's chest; he yelped and caught her as he stepped backwards, slipped on the rug and fell on to his ass. Hannah fell with him, landing with a thud on his lap and chest, her weight forcing him on to his back. Rick winced as the back of his head bounced off the hard floor. Hannah fell forward and his face was suddenly up close and personal with her breasts. He breathed deeply, inhaling the delicate scent of vanilla as Frank fell into their entangled legs and Hannah muttered a curse under her breath when he landed on her injured leg. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry – Rick's face was buried between her breasts and Frank's head was resting on her ass, and she was terribly afraid some of the stitches in her leg had ripped.

As Frank sat up and crawled off of their legs, she planted her hands on the floor beside Rick's head and lifted her chest away from his face.

"Hey." He said casually, like he hadn't just had her breasts practically in his mouth, "How's it going?"

She laughed, she couldn't help it. Ethan and Scott appeared and Ethan put his arm around her and lifted her off Rick. He placed her gently on her feet, keeping his arm around her waist as Scott helped first Frank and then Rick to their feet.

"That was awesome." Scott grinned at the three of them. "I can't believe Rick caught you."

Hannah grimaced, "I don't think he had much choice Scott." She put gentle pressure on her leg as Frank, his face glowing red, seized her arm.

"Hannah, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine Frank. Don't worry – Rick broke my fall." She tried not to giggle and failed miserably.

Rick rubbed the back of his head and watched as Hannah giggled and leaned against Ethan. There was a brief twinge in his stomach when Ethan tugged on her ponytail before scooping her up and carrying her to the couch. He set her down beside Sara who smiled at her. Hannah leaned companionably against the old woman, "What did you think of our gymnastics routine Sara?"

Sara laughed, "I ain't gonna lie honey - it needs some work."

Hannah laughed again as Rick, Scott and Frank approached the couch. Scott sat down beside her, "Seriously Hannah, if we had caught that on video we could've won a million dollars on that bloopers show." He paused as his comment sunk in and then shrugged uncomfortably, "You know...before."

She patted his leg, "I know Scott."

"Is your leg okay?" Frank asked her anxiously.

"I'm sure it's fine." She said soothingly. She wasn't about to tell him she didn't have the nerve to look.

"You should probably check it." Ethan told her.

"Yeah…probably." She replied.

He laughed, "Right, blood equals nausea." He started to bend down but before he could, Rick was squatting by her leg and rolling up the leg of her yoga pants. She shivered at his warm touch on her skin and Sara glanced curiously at her.

Her leg was covered with a large white bandage and Rick began to peel back the tape. "Look away Hannah." He instructed and she immediately looked up at the ceiling.

He peeled away the tape and gently pulled back the bandage. Holding her foot he lifted her leg and he, Ethan and Frank all peered at the back of her calf.

"Is it bleeding there?" Ethan murmured.

Rick shook his head, "No, I think that's just bruising." As he ran the tips of his fingers across the cuts on Hannah's skin, probing lightly at the swollen skin, Hannah shuddered so violently that Sara placed a concerned hand on her knee.

"Did that hurt Hannah?' she asked.

"A little bit." She lied.

"It's not bleeding and all of the stitches look fine." Rick replaced the bandage, carefully sticking the tape back in place and rolled down her pant leg.

"Thanks."

He nodded and stood up as Frank leaned over her, "Hannah, I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it Frank." She patted his hand, "No one was seriously hurt." She glanced up at Rick, "Unless I crushed your ribcage and you're just being stoic about it?"

He laughed, making little lines appear around his eyes, and she was secretly delighted by the sound of his laughter. "My ribcage is fine."

He noticed Glen trying to get his attention at the far end of the room, "Excuse me." He walked away as Ethan, spotting Carol slipping into a rocking chair by the fire, nodded to Sara and Hannah and made a beeline for her.

Frank apologized once more and then hurried out of the main lodge. Hannah watched with amusement as he reached the front door and nearly knocked Beth over who was entering the lodge. Her cheeks were red with cold and she shivered prettily before crossing to the fireplace. Scott sat up a little straighter and with a sheepish grin at Hannah and Sara, bounded over to the fire to stand next to Beth. He said something to her, too low for Hannah to hear, and she blushed and smacked him lightly on the arm.

Hannah linked her arm through Sara's and leaned against her.

"How's your leg Sara?" she asked.

"Much better dear. I don't have to use that walking stick anymore." Sara said cheerfully.

"Maybe I should borrow it." Hannah grinned at her.

"You let me know, and I'll get one of the boys to bring it to you." She patted Hannah's arm.

The two of them sat in silence for a while, just watching the activity around them. Nearly everyone was in the main lodge with the exception of Daryl and Merle who were on watch together and Lori. She had come down with a bad cold and had been holed up in her cabin for the last two days. The days were getting colder and colder and the group was spending the majority of their time together in the lodge.

Hannah had always been on the quiet side and tended to blend in with large crowds. It was no exception here she thought. She didn't mind; she found it comforting to be included in the group without the pressure of being conversational. She found contentment in listening and observing and part of her fondness for Sara stemmed from the fact that the old woman never pressured her to talk just for the sake of talking.

A loud burst of giggling drew her attention to the long wooden table in the kitchen. Julie was sitting next to Michael as he ate something from a can and she was giggling and smiling and holding on to his arm. Sara followed her gaze and smiled a little.

"Seems like love is in the air." She smoothed a bit of stray hair back from Hannah's face.

"You're not kidding me." Hannah stared pointedly at Carol and Ethan, Scott and Beth, and lastly, Rick. He was sitting against the wall with Carl, a book in his hands, but he was staring at her. Hannah looked down at her lap, her stomach fluttering and her palms suddenly sweaty.

She sighed softly and looked at Sara. "I don't get it. We're in the middle of an apocalypse – death and fear are all around us and it's like a damn couples retreat around here."

Sara patted her hand. "It's because of that fear Hannah."

When Hannah only looked at her quizzically, the old woman smiled, "The only thing more powerful than fear is love. When death is all around, when people are frightened and alone, love brings them hope. Love helps them forget their fear and their loss; it gives them faith that no matter how dark it gets they'll find the light with the one they love."

"That's beautiful Sara." Hannah said softly.

"Plus, there's nothing like the fear of dying to get a person's juices flowing." Sara continued cheerfully, as Hannah blinked at her in surprise. "Why I remember one time my Walter and I were driving home from my sister Lily's, back in '82 that was, and we almost got in a car accident that would have killed us both. If we had left Lily's even 5 minutes sooner, we both would have died that day."

"That's terrible Sara." Hannah squeezed her hand gently.

"Walter and I got home and it wasn't five minutes before we were in the bedroom. It was the best sex of my life. I swear we didn't leave that bedroom for a full day and a half." Sara grinned as Hannah's mouth dropped open.

"Point is Hannah there ain't nothin' like being faced with death on a regular basis to make people realize how important sex, or love, or whatever you want to call it - is. I'm not surprised that so many of you are," she giggled, "hookin' up with each other."

When Hannah just continued to stare at her with her mouth open, Sara tapped her chin gently, "Close your mouth dearie; yer man's gonna wonder what I'm saying to you."

Hannah closed her mouth with effort, "I don't have a man Sara."

Sara arched one eyebrow at her. "I think there's someone who might disagree with you." She looked over at Rick who was still watching them, and waved. He gave her a small nod and looked down at the book in his lap.

Hannah's face fell with dismay. "Sara," she whispered, "I'm not sure what you've heard but there isn't anything going on with Rick and I. He's a married man."

Sara patted her knee, "I've been around a long time honey. I don't need someone telling me something that I can see plainly with my own eyes."

Hannah's stomach churned, "Sara, I –"

Sara shook her head, "I don't mean to upset you Hannah, but I can see by your face that I have. We can stop talking about this now."

Hannah swallowed thickly before looking around to make sure no one was within earshot, "You haven't upset me Sara. I just – I keep trying to stay away from him because he's married and he has a family and I'm not about to break up a marriage."

"That marriage was broken long before you came along." Sara said bluntly.

"They're just going through a rough patch." Hannah whispered. "If there's even a chance that they can work this out, I don't want to be the person who stops that from happening."

Sara placed gentle fingers on Hannah's chin and lifted until Hannah was staring into her faded blue eyes. "Lord knows I think young people today don't try hard enough with their marriages, but I'm an old woman and I've witnessed the beginning and end of many relationships in my time. Do you believe that?"

Hannah nodded as Sara continued, "Sometimes marriages go through a spell where both parties forget the why's and how's of their love. With hard work and compromise they find each other again and remember that love. But sometimes, marriages break to the point where there ain't no goin' back to what they had. There's been too much hurt, too many misunderstandings, and that love is lost forever."

She paused and gave Hannah a look of compassion, "Lori's lost her love for Rick. He may not want to admit it, he may not even realize it yet, but what he's doing right now is just limping along in the past." She glanced over at Rick, "But considering the way he looks at you and the fact that he's not wearing his wedding ring anymore, I have a feeling the limping is done."

"It is my fault." Hannah said miserably.

Sara shook her head emphatically, "No honey; I keep telling you – that marriage was broken long before you showed up. Beating yourself up for being attracted to him is just a waste of energy." She pulled a worn, but clean handkerchief from her pocket, "Wipe your face dearie; you're tearin' up a bit."


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

"Hannah, can I speak to you for a minute?"

Amelia and Hannah both looked up from the book, "How To Grow Your Own Vegetable Garden in 10 Easy Steps" that they were studying together.

"Sure Ethan." Hannah smiled.

Amelia stood up to leave but Ethan shook his head. "You can stay Amelia." He sat down beside them and glanced around a bit self-consciously, "Jeremy's not doing well. And I thought since you and he used to be close maybe you could speak with him?" he stared worriedly at Hannah.

Guilt flooded through Hannah. It was true, back at their camp she had been close to Scott and Jeremy, as well as their parents. Since they had moved in with Rick's group, other than expressing her sorrow for the death of their parents, she had barely spoken to either of them. Now she scanned the room, looking for Jeremy, frowning when she saw him tucked into one of the big armchairs in the living area. His normally tanned skin was pale and unlike the others who had all gained weight since joining the group, he was obviously thinner. He was staring into the fire – oblivious to the others around him.

Ethan leaned his head against his hand, "The boys have been staying with Sara and she says she hears Scott crying nearly every night. Lots of times he comes to her for comforting after nightmares. She says he talks with her, as well as Hershel and Beth, about his parents, how much he misses them. Jeremy hasn't said a word about it, hasn't even cried. She knows he's having nightmares, she can hear him moaning and crying out in his sleep but he won't talk to her or Scott either. "

He lowered his voice a little, "He's not eating much. He wouldn't even try the bear meat. First time we've had fresh meat in months and he didn't touch any of it. Anyway, I was thinking maybe you could try talking with him?"

"Of course I will. I feel terrible that I haven't spoken to him before now." Hannah said.

He shook his head, "You've had your own shit happening. I didn't bring this up to make you feel guilty; I was just hoping you would try and get him to open up to you."

She nodded, "I'll go to him right now." She stood up and Amelia and Ethan watched as she walked across the room with a barely noticeable limp.

She squatted in front of Jeremy, "Jeremy?" she said softly.

He didn't reply and she put her hand on his blanket-covered knee and squeezed gently, "Honey?"

He turned his head slowly, like an old man, and stared down at her. The utter lack of emotion in his gaze chilled Hannah to the bone. "Hey Hannah."

"Hi." She tried to smile cheerfully at him, "I came over here to apologize to you."

"Oh?" he said disinterestedly.

"Yes. I'm sorry that we haven't been spending time together like we used to." She rubbed his knee gently, "I haven't any excuse for it and I'm so sorry."

He shrugged and looked back at the fire.

"Would you mind if I sat with you for awhile?" she asked.

He shrugged again, "If you want."

Hannah wedged her body into the overstuffed chair beside Jeremy. She pushed gently on his shoulder, urging him to turn a bit and after a moment, he obliged. She put both her arms around him and pulled on him until his back was resting against her front with his head on her shoulder. She kissed the back of his head and rubbed his arm while they both stared into the fire.

After nearly ten minutes, he sighed and relaxed against her. She squeezed him tightly for a moment and then said softly, "Do you want to talk honey?"

He immediately stiffened and tried to pull away, "No! I don't want to talk. I don't want to talk about anything and you can't make me."

"Shhh, honey. Shhh." She soothed. "Of course we don't have to talk. Don't worry, we can just sit together. Don't leave." She forced him back against her, holding him close with an arm around his thin chest and began to rock back and forth a little.

Rick stood in the wide doorway of the kitchen, sipping a cup of bad instant coffee and furtively watching Hannah. She had been sitting with Jeremy for nearly two hours, just sitting and holding him, and about half an hour ago Jeremy had dozed off until he was sleeping deeply against her. She continued to hold him, staring silently into the fire, and Rick wondered what she was thinking about. It had been four days since she had literally fallen into his lap and in that time she had basically ignored him. "It's for the best." He reminded himself repeatedly. He needed to focus on Carl and keeping him safe and helping him to understand why his parents were no longer together. Still, he couldn't seem to stop himself from watching Hannah whenever she was in the room. Since her discussion with Lori, she had been polite but distant with Carl and when he had come to Rick and asked if Hannah was mad at him, Rick had shook his head no. He'd taken uncharacteristic delight in telling Carl to ask his mother why Hannah didn't play cards with him any longer and didn't go out of her way to talk to him. Lori had created the problem; she could deal with the consequences of it.

He glanced again at Hannah and frowned. Jeremy was beginning to tremble in his sleep; he was sweating profusely and a sound like the cry of a wounded animal escaped his throat. He shifted and squirmed against Hannah; she tightened her arms around him and whispered something into his ear but he was deep in the grip of his nightmare and didn't respond.

Rick set his cup down and started towards them as Hannah shook Jeremy and in a loud voice said, "Jeremy, wake up. Wake up now honey."

The others glanced over; Scott, who was spinning Jacob around and around in the large open space by the front door while Ellie waited patiently for her turn, set him down and walked towards his brother. Amelia and Daryl began to drift towards Hannah, as did Glen and Maggie.

With a sudden, terrifying scream, Jeremy began to thrash wildly in the chair. He pulled his arms free of the blanket and waved them around, punching and swinging at nothing. Hannah, trapped under him, tried to hold his flailing arms down and shouted, "Jeremy! Wake up!" He screamed again and Hannah winced as one floundering fist punched her in the shoulder and the other landed a hard blow to her stomach.

Rick and Daryl reached them at the same time and as Daryl grabbed a hold of Jeremy, Rick hooked his hands under Hannah's arms and pulled her out from under Jeremy. He put one arm around her, keeping her against him as Jeremy's entire body began to shake and buck and he fell out of the chair, smashing into Daryl before crashing to the floor.

"Glen! Help me hold him down!" Daryl hollered. Glen dropped to his knees beside Daryl and together they tried to keep the writhing, shuddering boy still.

Jeremy, his eyes screwed shut, screamed again, "Mama! Mama!" as Scott fell to the floor behind him, his own cry of dismay echoing his younger brother's.

"Jeremy, wake up!" he pleaded helplessly as Hannah pushed away from Rick and ran to Scott. She crouched beside him and put a soothing hand on his back.

"Please Jeremy – stop!" Scott began to cry and Jeremy stopped moving with a sudden jerk and lay nearly motionless on the floor. They could all hear his harsh panting in the sudden quiet and Hannah cautiously placed her hand on his forehead.

"Jeremy?" she half-whispered

Slowly his eyes opened and he stared blankly at her. Scott leaned forward, "Jeremy, it's me Scott."

Jeremy rolled his eyes to Scott and Hannah sighed with relief when he blinked and whispered, "Scott?"

"Yeah, Jeremy – it's Scott." He wiped the tears from his face and sniffed loudly. "You had a nightmare buddy. You're okay though." He looked at Daryl and Glen, "You can let go of him now."

They stood back and Scott and Hannah helped Jeremy to his feet. He staggered a little bit and Scott put his arm around his thin shoulders. "Let's get you a drink of water okay?" he said. Carol was suddenly in front of them and she put a cool hand on the back of Jeremy's neck.

"Let's get you some water and a bowl of soup." She said firmly. "You and Scott both need to eat more." She led the two boys into the kitchen as Amelia squeezed Daryl's hand briefly before standing next to Hannah.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Hannah replied.

"She got hit in the stomach and the shoulder." Rick said behind her.

Hannah immediately shook her head. "It's nothing."

"It wasn't nothing." Rick argued. He reached around her and pulled the bottom of her shirt up, running his hand over the red mark on Hannah's flat stomach. She cringed as Amelia bent and looked at her stomach.

"That's going to bruise." Amelia told her soberly.

"Check her shoulder as well." Rick said. He was standing too close to her, his hand still resting on the soft skin of her abdomen; his close proximity and the hard calluses and warmth of his hand were making her nerve endings sizzle and it was all she could do to not turn and throw herself at him.

"Damn him." She thought, anger beginning to rise in her, "He's the married man but he acts like I belong to him, like he can touch me whenever he wants." As Amelia reached for her shoulder, Hannah welcomed the sudden surge of anger.

She slapped Rick's hand away and pulled away from him and Amelia. "I said I was fine." She snapped.

"At least let us look at your shoulder." Rick said and reached for her again. She pushed his hands away violently.

"Enough!" she spat. "Stop touching me. You're always touching me and standing too close; I don't belong to you, give me some personal space for once."

She stormed out of the main lodge without waiting for a reply. As she entered her small cabin, slamming the door behind her, her pulse pounded in her ears and her face was hot and tingling. She stalked back and forth in the small, tidy living room, stopping to kick the end of the love seat before stomping back into the kitchen.

She could feel herself getting more and more worked up; anger and bitterness and lust all boiling together under her skin. She had an overwhelming urge to simply pack up her things and leave. It would at least stop the constant torment.

There was a soft knock at the door and she glared at it, "Leave me alone!"

The door opened a crack and Amelia peeked cautiously through it.

"I'm coming in. Don't like throw your shoe or something at me okay?" She eased into the room and carefully shut the door behind her.

She leaned back against the door, "Listen, I'm sorry I keep touching you so much. It's just that well, I find you really attractive and I've told Daryl I'm leaving him for you. He wanted to know if it's because of the rumour that you're a gymnast. I said yes."

Hannah gaped at her and then burst out laughing. She leaned against the counter, held a hand to her belly and laughed until tears spurted from her eyes. Amelia, grinning a little, sat down at the kitchen table and waited patiently until her giggles tapered off. She patted the chair beside her and Hannah, little spats of giggles still escaping from her lips, sat down gingerly.

"Seriously though – is your shoulder okay?" Amelia asked.

Hannah nodded, wiping the moisture away from under her eyes, "It's fine. I mean, it's sore and I'll probably bruise but I bruise easily. I always have."

"Okay." She paused, "Do you want to talk about the other thing?"

Hannah sighed, "He's always touching me Amelia. Every time I turn around he's either looking at me or standing too close or touching me. He's driving me crazy!"

She stood up and paced the small kitchen, "I'm starting to think he's doing it on purpose. I mean, it's some kind of sick game to him you know? He knows I want him even though he's married. It probably makes him feel good about himself, probably feeds his ego to have some stupid woman panting after him and he's just having a grand old time with it. He thinks this is some innocent little flirtation while he's on a break with his wife and he has no idea that every time he touches me I can barely stop myself from throwing him to the ground and fucking him five ways from Sunday in front of everyone."

She stopped, panting harshly through her nose. Amelia opened her mouth but before she could say anything, Hannah began to pace again, "I'm going insane. That's it. There is no other explanation for what's happening to me. I am a horrible, terrible, insane human being who seems perfectly content with the idea of breaking up a marriage and a family just so I can get an itch scratched. And why does it even have to be him?" she stared wildly at Amelia, "I'm an attractive woman right?"

"Yep." Amelia nodded.

"I bet I could easily convince Ethan or Michael or even Frank to sleep with me; hell Merle's constantly hitting on me."

"Gross." Amelia blurted out.

"I'm not _going_ to sleep with Merle." Hannah said impatiently, "I'm just trying to point out that there are other men out there I could have sex with. I mean, I've got skills okay? I may not be a gymnast but I'm limber!"

Amelia nodded, "You seem very limber to me. Just the other day I was telling Daryl that you were the limberest person I know."

Hannah frowned, "Limberest?"

"It means one who is possessed of great limber." Amelia said solemnly.

Hannah laughed a little in spite of her anger. "I'm being serious Amelia. The point I'm trying to make is that I do have other men available to me and yet I'm this close to forcing myself on a goddamn Sheriff's Deputy in the middle of the goddamn apocalypse."

"I'm pretty sure that shit will get you arrested. But think of it this way – being arrested by Rick for trying to have sex with him, is still better than having sex with Merle." Amelia laughed.

"Amelia!" Hannah glared at her.

Amelia laughed again, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I want you to sit down and listen closely to me for a minute okay?"

Hannah nodded and sank into the chair beside her.

"First, you are not a terrible, horrible human being. I'm not going to get into the details because they're not mine to share but from the little I've talked to Lori – their marriage is basically dead in the water. It was headed in that direction long before you showed up and just because Rick's attracted to you doesn't mean you're the cause of his marriage ending."

She took Hannah's hands in her own and stared at her, "Second, and this is the important part so listen closely. You might think that Rick is just playing a silly little flirtatious game with you but I can assure you he isn't. You don't see how he looks at you Hannah – I do. I've been paying close attention ever since I walked in on you two about to have sex –"

"We weren't about to have sex!" Hannah protested heatedly.

"Oh of course you weren't. He was just checking you very thoroughly with his mouth for more bear-related injuries." Amelia rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I've been watching you try to avoid him and I've been watching him watch you. You're right in that he goes out of his way to touch you or talk to you but you're dead wrong about it being a game to him. He wants you as badly as you want him."

Hannah shook her head, "You're wrong."

"Oh really? Because he looks at you as though he wants to lick you all over like you're his favourite flavour of ice cream."

Hannah blushed and Amelia laughed, "I'm afraid I'm not the only one who's noticed either. Carol asked me yesterday if I thought Rick was just going to continue to stare at you or actually "make his move" as she put it."

"Oh Jesus." Hannah groaned and put her head in her hands.

Amelia shrugged, "All I'm saying Hannah is that Rick wants to sleep with you as badly as you want to sleep with him. There's this weird current of sexual tension between the two of you whenever you're within 5 feet of each other. You can try to ignore it all you want but trust me, eventually one, or the both of you are going to crack and you'll be boinking like bunnies."

She pulled Hannah's hands away from her face, "And I want you to do is promise me you won't feel guilty about it when that happens."

"I won't feel guilty because it's not going to happen." She said stubbornly.

Amelia smiled sympathetically at her, "Yeah, good luck with that honey."


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

A few days later Hannah was in the kitchen of the main lodge. She had forced Carol to go and relax with the others, and had cleaned and tidied the kitchen after dinner herself. There had been a lot to clean up but she didn't mind. Sometimes the sound and noises of that many people in one room was too loud for her and the solitude of the kitchen was soothing. She had just finished putting the last of the clean dishes away when there was a noise from the pantry. It sounded like crying to her and frowning, she stepped into the large, cool space.

"Hello?" she said quietly.

Her only answer was the sound of someone sniffling. She moved forward in the dim light and nearly tripped over Julie who was sitting on the floor, with her back against a shelf of canned food.

"Julie? What's wrong?"

Julie shook her head as fresh tears dripped down her face. Hannah sat down beside her and put her arm around the young woman's shoulders.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Julie shook her head but then blurted out, "I gave Michael his scarf tonight and he loved it. He said it was really nice and he thanked me for it and gave me the sweetest kiss. So I finally worked up the nerve to ask him to spend the night with me and he totally rejected me."

She began to sob quietly again and Hannah pulled her close. She stroked Julie's hair and made soothing noises. "Well," she said hesitantly, "If it's the first time you kissed, maybe he's just the kind of guy who likes to move a bit more slowly."

Julie sat back up and wiped her nose almost angrily, "It's not the first time we've kissed. He wants me, I can feel – I mean, I can tell." She blushed a little and Hannah smiled in understanding.

"I'm not asking for a commitment or anything," Julie sighed, "I just want someone to keep me warm at night you know? It gets lonely sometimes and he's nice looking and kind and gentle and I don't see the harm in having a little fun."

She stared at Hannah, "Only he said no and I'm crushed about it and now I'm wondering if I am feeling a little something more for him than loneliness."

She pounded her knee in frustration, "I hate this. In the old days I would have called up my girlfriends, gone to a bar and had a few drinks while bitching about Michael before finding myself someone better."

Hannah smiled and got up from the floor. Julie watched as she disappeared further into the pantry. There was the sound of her shifting and moving bottles before she returned with dust on her shirt and a smile on her face. She was holding a bottle of amber liquid and two small glasses and Julie stared in surprise as Hannah sat back down beside her and showed her the label.

"Tequila? Where the hell did that come from?" Julie wondered.

Hannah shrugged, "I found it a couple of weeks ago when I was helping to organize the pantry. It was pushed way to the back along with these two shot glasses." She blew some dust off the bottle and wiped the shot glasses clean with her shirt. "Shall we drink to men and how stupid they can be?"

Julie grinned and took the bottle from her, "I'll pour."

Rick lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. He sighed and tucked his hands under his pillow. He was tired, which was why he had crawled into bed even before it was dark, but now his mind was racing and he shifted restlessly in the bed.

His thoughts strayed to dinner. He had ended up sitting beside Hannah, something he had successfully avoiding doing since the day she had snapped at him to stop touching her. The ghost of her scent, a delicious vanilla, still seemed to cling to him. She appeared oblivious to him; sitting quietly through supper like she always did as Julie, who was sitting on the other side of her, laughed and chatted and told her stories about her childhood. In fact, in the last 3 days he doubted if she had said more than 2 sentences to him. She had spent the majority of her time with Jeremy and Scott, trying to bring Jeremy out of his shell. The boy seemed a little better; he responded to Scott and Hannah at least, but Rick didn't like the way he often seemed to completely shut out the outside world. He was only 15 but the lack of eating and stress of his parent's deaths had left him looking like an old man.

For his part, he had done his best to honour Hannah's wishes but it was more difficult than he could have imagined. He was fascinated by her, the sound of her voice, the paleness of her skin, the way she laughed. He shook his head; it was nothing more than a passing obsession. Even if his marriage was over, it was way too soon to be thinking about other women. He knew part of the problem was how long it had been since he had had sex. It had been difficult to find alone time at the farm. Living in a tent that you shared with your child and surrounded by people in other tents, didn't leave much in the way of privacy. By the time they had found the more private cabins, Lori had already made it perfectly clear she didn't want him touching her.

It was no surprise that he was fascinated by Hannah. She obviously wanted him - or did, he amended. She wanted nothing to do with him now. He had tried to watch her at dinner without it being obvious and was pleased when she ate a good portion of food. In the weeks since she had joined the group she had gained weight and was no longer the pale, waif-like girl she had been. Well, he corrected himself, she was still pale but at least she no longer looked like a strong breeze would topple her over.

He thought about the way her jeans hugged her ass. Since she'd gained some much-needed weight he had discovered that her ass was round, curvy and temptingly touchable. Without thinking about it, he slid his hands under the cover and gripped himself, not surprised to discover he was already hard. He closed his eyes and stroked back and forth slowly, thinking about the brief kissing he had shared with Hannah, the feel of her small body against his, and the way she moaned. He groaned, his hand pumping faster with the memories of her straddling him in the truck, the feel of her hands on his chest, and how soft her lips were.

He was panting now, his hips moving with the rhythm of his hand as he closed his eyes and pictured Hannah's eyes, a remarkable shade of cobalt blue, staring into his, her small pink lips opening for his mouth. He was so close, he could feel himself drawing –

"Rick. Come in Rick." The radio on the floor beside the bed squawked loudly and he jumped, his hand tightening almost painfully on to his dick.

"Shit!" he reached down for the radio.

"What is it Daryl?" he spoke a bit harsher than he had intended.

"Yeah, Julie and Hannah are wandering around outside."

"Are you kidding me?" Rick sat up, the covers pooling around his waist and swung his legs on to the ground.

"Wish I were. Amelia thinks they're drunk." There was a second voice as Amelia murmured something to Daryl.

"She says Julie is definitely drunk and Hannah looks at least tipsy." Daryl's voice had a twinge of amusement. "It's kind of hard to tell from up here. It looks like they're heading to Julie's cabin. Do you want us to just keep an eye on them or should I go and escort them to their cabins?"

Rick pulled his jeans on with quick, jerky movements and tugged his shirt on, not bothering to button it. "No - stay in the blind. We need you two to watch for Walkers, not babysit a couple of drunken girls. Julie's cabin is right next to mine, I'll get them myself."

He pulled his boots on with a grunt and stormed to his front door. He was furious with Hannah; she knew better than to go out after dark. He grabbed a flashlight and tore his front door open. A cold wind was blowing and he was immediately chilled. He stomped down the steps of his porch before turning the flashlight on and shining it towards Julie's cabin. He cursed and stumbled back when Hannah appeared directly in front of him; she gasped and put her hand in front of her face.

"Jesus, are you trying to blind me?"

He grabbed her arm and shook it a bit roughly, "Where's Julie?"

"Don't worry Dad, I tucked her into bed safe and snug. Actually, I just dumped her on top of the bed but I'm sure she'll be fine." She giggled, "I was just heading home myself." She giggled again.

Hannah's cabin was across the clearing and with a frustrated sigh he shut the flashlight off and dragged her up his steps and into his own cabin. He shut and locked the door behind him and stalked to the kitchen, angrily lighting the candles that were on the table before turning back to her.

"You don't go out after dark Hannah. You know the rules."

She grinned saucily at him, "Uh oh, now I'm in trouble for breaking curfew." She kicked her shoes off and shrugged out of her coat, letting it fall to the floor before wandering over to the love seat. She ran her hand over it, frowning at the scratchy fabric.

He glared at her, "You're drunk."

She laughed, "Nope, not drunk – just tipsy. Now Julie - that chick was drunk. We're talking wasted. The girl cannot hold her liquor. It's sad really." When he didn't laugh, she sighed dramatically and gave him a mock salute, "Sorry sir, it won't happen again."

He curled his hands into fists and walked over until he was standing directly in front of her. He didn't dare touch her. He didn't trust that he wouldn't put her over his knee and try and spank some sense into her.

"This is not a joke Hannah. It's not just you and Julie who are in danger; you could put all of us in trouble by wandering around at all hours of the night. Do you get that? Are you sober enough to understand that concept?"

She put her hands together and held them out to him, "What are you going to do? Arrest me officer?" she snickered. "Spank me?"

His face flushed and there was an almost painful cramp of desire in his stomach. She saw the look on his face and smiled a slow, seductive smile, before stepping so close he could feel her breath stirring the hairs on his chest.

"Hmm…that hit a nerve, didn't it?" she whispered. She placed her hand on his chest and traced tiny circles over the skin. He jerked, his skin suddenly on fire, and she placed one cool hand on the back of his neck and tugged his head down. "You'd like to spank me wouldn't you Rick?" she whispered into his ear. "I'd like that too." She sucked on his earlobe and then bit it, making him wince a little. "Although if I'm honest, I'd probably much prefer if you just handcuffed me to that bed over there," she licked his ear, soothing the pain of her earlier bite, "and fucked me until I begged you for mercy."

With a loud groan, Rick grabbed her by the ass and yanked her against him. He kissed her, thrusting his tongue almost angrily into her mouth as she moaned. He squeezed and cupped her ass roughly, forcing her up against his erection. She didn't seem to mind, mashing her body against his before pushing his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms, ripping it free and tossing it on the floor. He returned the favour, yanking her sweater up and over her head, throwing it across the room and leaving her clad in just her jeans and a pale pink bra.

He frowned and gently touched the large bruise on her stomach.

"It's tough being a ninja." She whispered, and laughed when he gave her an odd look.

"Never mind." She giggled and pulled his hand to her breast. He cupped her breast through the bra, pulling and tugging on her nipple through the thin fabric. She groaned and lifted her face to him. He bent his head and kissed her again; she swept her tongue into his mouth, pushing and sliding it eagerly against his. She tasted strongly of tequila and with a groan of need and frustration Rick pulled his mouth from hers and held her at arm's length.

"What?" she asked, reaching for him eagerly.

"Hannah, we have to stop. You're drunk and I'm not going to take advantage of that."

She smiled, "Not drunk – just tipsy I told you. I know exactly what I'm doing."

He shook his head, "No, I don't think you do. You've barely spoken or looked at me in days and now suddenly you're doing this? That's the alcohol."

She shook her head, "Nope, it isn't. Every night I go back to my little cabin, and crawl into my lonely, cold bed. Every night I lie there and I think about you." she pulled her arms free and pushed her way in closer but he dropped his hands to his side and refused to touch her. "I think about your mouth, and your chest." she ran her hand across his chest, gently tugging on the hair, "I think about your hands. Then I touch myself," she reached down and slipped one hand between her legs, "and pretend it's your hands touching me."

"Jesus, Hannah." He moaned.

She stood on her tiptoes, wobbling a little, and traced his collarbone with her tongue, "I think about you and your hands, and those lips and I make myself come every single night Rick, hoping it will bring some relief, but it never does. I'm starting to suspect," she kissed her way up one side of his throat, nibbled his chin and then licked her way down the other side of his throat, kissing and licking down his chest until he could feel her breath on his nipple, "that the only way to get the relief I'm looking for is by having your cock in me." She sucked his nipple into her mouth and he gasped and jerked against her.

She grinned up at him, "Seems as though you like that." She sucked on his nipple again and he was helpless to stop the whimper of need coming from his lips. He'd always had sensitive nipples and her licking and sucking was driving him close to the edge. With every pull of her mouth, his hips thrust against her helplessly.

She stopped abruptly and ran her hand down his front. She squeezed his throbbing cock through his jeans. "Feels like something else wants a good sucking." She ran her tongue over her bottom lip.

Rick stared at her. He tried to wrap his mind around the fact that Hannah, quiet, sweet Hannah, not only had the dirtiest mouth he'd ever heard on a woman but what she was saying and doing was turning him on in ways he'd never even imagined.

Before he could stop her, she had unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans and stuck her hand inside to grip his cock. "No underwear," she whispered, "How convenient."

She pushed him into a sitting position on the couch and knelt on the floor between his legs. She pulled his cock free, making a small sound of excitement when she saw its size. She put her hand around him and squeezed, making him groan and a small drop of come appear at the tip. She bent her head and licked the drop away and he shuddered with pleasure. "Now that tastes lovely." She smiled at him and then took him into her mouth.

He shivered and moaned and tried one last time to put the brakes on, "Hannah…please. You need to stop."

"Really?" she whispered, "You don't like this?" she took just the head of him into her mouth and sucked hard, licking the tip roughly with her tongue. She stopped, "Or this?" she opened her mouth wide and glided her lips down around the shaft. He could feel the head of his cock nearly hitting the back of her throat but she didn't gag or pull her mouth free. Instead she began a slow rhythmic sucking of the entire length, gripping the base of him with her hand and stroking his cock with long, slow pulls of her mouth.

"Oh my God!" He cried out. He forgot about everything - the stress of trying to keep people safe, the shame that his marriage had fallen apart, even the worry that he was taking advantage of her. The exquisite pleasure of her warm, wet mouth shoved everything else out and he wound his fingers through her hair, holding her head tightly as she licked and stroked and sucked and drove him completely mad.

After only a few moments he could feel himself getting close. His legs trembled and he couldn't stop the mad thrusting of his hips against her, "Hannah," he gasped, "I'm going to come."

"So come." She murmured around his cock. He stared at her in shock. He had never been with a woman who would finish him off with her mouth. Just thinking about it made his entire body shake and he could feel himself on the edge of orgasm. As if sensing it, the pace of Hannah's mouth grew frantic and she wrapped her lips even more tightly around him.

"I – wait, are you sure - you don't have to do this." he gasped between tortured moans. She ignored him and reached up with one hand, running her fingers over his nipple, tugging lightly on it in rhythm with her mouth. That was all it took. With a loud cry he came, his hips bucking and twisting. She kept her mouth wrapped firmly around him, swallowing every drop as he shuddered beneath her in ecstasy.

With a small, satisfied smile she hopped up and straddled him. She kissed him deeply; he could taste both himself and tequila on her tongue. It was an oddly intoxicating combination.

"Yummy." She whispered against his lips, "Now – take me to bed officer."

"Yes ma'am." He replied.

He lifted her from the couch, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He ran his hand over her ass before sliding it between her legs. He could feel her heat, even through her jeans, and she moaned and rubbed herself against his hand.

There was a knock at the door and they both twisted towards it. "Uh oh." She giggled. "I'd better hide." He set her down and she headed for the bathroom.

"You don't have to hide." He motioned to her, but she just winked at him over her shoulder, the sight of the large dragon tattoo on her back shocking him a little all over again. She staggered as she walked towards the bathroom and his guilt at taking advantage of her hit him again full force. She could insist all she wanted that she was just tipsy; he knew drunk when he saw it.

She went into the bathroom and slipped the door shut behind her as he zipped his jeans and pulled his shirt back on. He opened the door, wincing at the blast of cold air, to find Daryl standing on his doorstep, crossbow in hand.

"What? What is it? Is there trouble?" Rick squinted into the darkness as Daryl slipped into the cabin.

"Nah." He shook his head. "Amelia sent me down here. We couldn't tell for sure if ya had found Hannah or not and she got herself all worked up about it. I told her ya would have told us if you hadn't, but then ya weren't answering yer radio and she got really upset."

Daryl frowned at him, "You best check the batteries in the radio Rick - they must be dead."

"Yeah, they must be." Rick cleared his throat. He hadn't heard the radio at all, so focused had he been on what Hannah was doing to him. Just then, the radio on the table blared static and Amelia's voice was heard.

"Daryl, come in Daryl."

Daryl glanced at him curiously then walked over to the table and picked up the radio.

"I'm right here Amelia."

"Did he find her?"

He glanced at Rick, "Well did ya?"

Rick nodded. "Yes, she's fine. She's in the bathroom at the moment – Amelia was right, they had been drinking. I brought her to my cabin; it was closer than hers. I figured it was –" he stuttered to a stop as Daryl stooped and picked up Hannah's sweater from the floor. It was small and pink, obviously not Rick's, and Rick could feel the blush rising on his face as the redneck cocked his head and gave him a small grin.

He spoke into the radio, "Hannah's fine baby. I'm leavin' Rick's cabin and headin' back your way. Don't get antsy and shoot me."

"Don't be an ass and give me a reason to shoot you." Amelia laughed.

Daryl dropped Hannah's sweater on the table and walked to the door. He paused as if he was going to say something then just shook his head and grinned at him, "G'night Rick."

"Good night Daryl. Be careful heading back to Amelia."

As Daryl shut the door behind him, Rick locked it and leaned against it for a moment, feeling the cold seeping through his shirt. He stared at the bathroom door for a full five minutes but Hannah didn't appear.

Beginning to feel alarmed, he crossed the room and knocked softly on the bathroom door, "Hannah, are you alright?"

There was no reply and he pushed the door open. He spotted her immediately. She had climbed into the tub and appeared to be passed out. He squatted by the tub, running his hand over her cheek.

"Hannah, wake up." He said loudly.

She snorted a little bit and turned on her side, curling up in the bottom of the tub like a small cat. He sighed and lifted her out of the tub, carrying her to the bed and slipping her under the covers without removing her clothes. He blew out all of the candles on the table but one and carried it over to the bed. He stripped out of his shirt and jeans and into a pair of shorts and climbed into the bed beside her. He watched with some amusement as she immediately flipped on to her belly and wiggled to the middle of the bed. She tucked her arms under the pillow and spread her legs, bending one up and out and leaving the other straight down. Rick barely had enough room to lie on his side next to her and as he blew out the candle, leaving them in darkness, he thought back to T-Dog's comment in the truck. He had been right; the little ones did take up the most bed space.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Rick woke with a start. The bed beside him was empty and he sat up, glancing anxiously around the cabin. Hannah was sitting at the kitchen table; she had put her sweater on and pulled her blonde hair into a low ponytail.

He slipped out of bed and pulled his jeans on but didn't bother with a shirt. He sat down beside her and she smiled at him nervously.

"Morning." He said.

"Hey." She replied.

"How are you?"

"Um good. I'm just waiting for the uh, all clear from Amelia and Daryl." She shifted a little in the chair, squinting at the shuttered windows in the dim light of the cabin.

"How do you feel?"

She shrugged, "I have a headache."

"Can I get you some aspirin? I have some in the bathroom."

He went to stand up and she shook her head. "No, please. I'm fine, really." She gave him a pale smile, "You should just go back to bed. It's still pretty early."

"Maybe we should talk about last night." He said softly.

"Yeah, about that...the thing is – I don't really remember what happened last night." She stared steadily at him, "But I'm guessing I did something embarrassing because I woke up in your bed without my shirt on."

He stared at her, a mixture of relief and disappointment flooding through him. He was a total asshole but he couldn't help the feeling of relief that he wouldn't have to try and explain why and how he took advantage of her last night. Still, he couldn't deny the surge of disappointment that his plan of coaxing her back into his bed so he could apologize in a more intimate way wasn't going to happen.

"You don't remember any of it?" he asked.

She shrugged, "I remember walking Julie to her cabin and after that it's all kind of a big blur." She ran her hand over her face. "Please tell me I didn't do anything really embarrassing."

"Well, you were wandering around the camp at night, but that was more dumb than embarrassing." He replied.

She stared at him for a moment, "That's it? I didn't do anything else."

"Nope." He lied.

"Then um, why did I wake up in your bed without a shirt?" she whispered.

He gave her what he hoped was a genuine smile, "I made you come back to my cabin because it was dark and it was closer than yours. You came in, took your shirt off, went to the bathroom and passed out in the tub. I put you in my bed, figured it would be more comfortable than the tub."

She nodded, her cheeks pink. "Okay, well thanks. I'm sorry I broke the rules again."

He shrugged, "Why were you and Julie drinking anyway?"

She paused, "Julie had a bad day and I was trying to cheer her up. I found some tequila in the pantry and well, we drank a little more than we should have." She rubbed her forehead. "I'm regretting that now."

He drummed his fingers nervously on the table, "Maybe you should avoid doing that again in the future. It really isn't safe to be wandering outside at night - especially when you're drunk."

"Trust me. I won't be doing it again." She looked at him and there was something in her eyes, a look he didn't quite understand but before he could question her, there was a knock on the door and Amelia's soft voice said, "All clear."

Hannah jumped to her feet and headed for the door, "Thanks again Rick, I'm sorry about last night. I'll um, talk to you later okay?" She opened the door and slipped out into the early morning light.

Amelia had just finished knocking on Julie's door and as Hannah hurried down the porch and headed across the clearing to her cabin, Amelia chased after her. She caught up to her just as Hannah was about to climb the porch of her own cabin and she tugged lightly at her arm, "Hey, how are you feeling?" her grin faltered when Hannah turned to her, her face pale and her blue eyes swimming with tears.

"Whoa, Hannah are you okay?" she followed Hannah into her cabin, shutting the door behind her.

Hannah collapsed on the small couch and covered her face with her hands. Amelia sat down beside her, "Hannah, what happened?"

"I'm an idiot. That's what happened." Hannah moaned.

"Daryl told me he found your sweater on the floor of Rick's cabin. Did you and Rick um," Amelia paused, "boink like bunnies last night?"

Hannah shook her head, "No. But I said things to him. _Dirty_ things."

Amelia grinned, "Did he threaten to arrest you?"

"No. But I might have suggested he handcuff me to the bed."

"Awesome." Amelia said delightedly.

Hannah uncovered her face and stared at Amelia, "Not awesome! Not awesome at all." She paused, "And then I may have, sort of, given him a blow job."

Amelia's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline, "Girl, you either did or you didn't. Which is it?"

Hannah closed her eyes, "I did. I totally did."

There was silence and she peeked cautiously at Amelia. She was sitting patiently beside her, combing her fingers through the end of her braid.

"Well?" Hannah finally said when the silence became more than she could bear.

"Well what?" Amelia asked.

"Aren't you going to tell me I'm a horrible person?"

"For what? Giving a guy a blow job? Honey, I hate to tell you this but you're not the first girl to drink too much and then do something she regrets with a guy."

"I don't regret it." Hannah said immediately.

"Then what's the problem? Did you enjoy it?"

Hannah nodded.

"Did he enjoy it?" Amelia asked.

Hannah blushed. "Yeah - no doubt about it."

"Well, there you go. A good time was had by all. What happened then?" Amelia turned towards her and crossed her arms across her chest. "Give me all the dirt."

"Nothing happened after that. Well, I mean I demanded he take me to bed and he said yes, but then someone knocked on the door."

"Ouch!" Amelia winced. "Sorry about that honey. That's totally my fault, I wasn't sure Rick had found you outside or not and I sent Daryl down when Rick didn't respond on the radio." She laughed, "Of course, now I know he didn't answer because he was too busy having his happy place closely inspected by you."

"Shut up." Hannah groaned, slapping lightly at Amelia's arm. "I hid in the bathroom and that's the last thing I remember before waking up in his bed this morning."

"What did he say this morning when you talked to him about what happened last night?" Amelia asked.

When Hannah only looked at her, her face turning pink, Amelia frowned. "Hannah, you guys did talk about what happened didn't you?"

"I told him I didn't remember what happened last night." Hannah whispered.

Amelia slapped herself on the forehead. "Hannah, you didn't!?"

"I panicked!" Hannah gripped her hand. "I woke up about 20 minutes before he did and I sat there at the table and the more I thought about what I had said and did, the more embarrassed I was. I mean, I had yelled at him and told him not to touch me and complained he was in my personal space, and three days later I have him pinned to the couch with my mouth on his – " she stopped and once more buried her face in her hands.

"Okay, okay. It's fine." Amelia said soothingly, "What did Rick say happened last night?"

Hannah swallowed, "He just said that I took my shirt off, went to the bathroom and passed out in his tub. Oh God Amelia, it was beyond awkward. He was sitting there in just a pair of jeans, no shirt on with his hair sticking up, and looking unbelievably sexy. I'm desperately pretending I don't know what happened, but trying to ask enough vague questions that he doesn't get suspicious. And the whole time I'm pretending I'm confused, all I can think about is dragging him back to his bed to finish what we started last night. Finally I was about to say fuck it and just ask him to take me back to bed and then you knocked on the door."

"Christ, I've got terrible timing." Amelia grimaced.

"No!" Hannah squeezed her arm, "Trust me, it was for the best. I'm glad you knocked on the door. I don't regret what I did, well maybe the whole handcuff me to the bed thing, but it would have been a mistake to go any further."

She placed a hand on her forehead, rubbing lightly. "Oh God my head hurts. I'm never drinking that much tequila again."

Amelia laughed, "Why did you and Julie get drunk anyway?"

Hannah gave her a cautious look; Amelia had confided in her about Michael's feelings for her and she wasn't sure if she should tell her the reason they were drinking.

"What?" Amelia asked.

She sighed, "Julie asked Michael to spend the night with her and he said no. She was crushed."

"Shit. I knew they were getting close. I was hoping – " she shook her head, "Never mind. It was selfish of me to hope that Michael would find love with Julie just so we could be friends again."

"Well, I guess Julie wasn't looking for any sort of commitment. She said she just wanted someone to keep her warm at night but Michael wouldn't even go for that. I think Michael's got a long way to go before he's over you." Hannah said sympathetically.

Amelia shook her head, "The dead are walking the earth and we still find ourselves in the middle of a freaking soap opera."

Hannah rubbed her forehead again, "Yeah, tell me about it. Listen, I'm going to take some aspirin and go to bed for a while okay? Do me a favour and check on Julie would you?"

Amelia nodded and squeezed her hand. "I'll talk with you later."


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Amelia opened the door and entered the cabin. She kicked her shoes off and stretched for a moment before stripping off her jacket. Daryl had left the shutters of the cabin closed and she could just see him lying on the bed in the dim light.

Yawning, she joined him on the bed. She stretched out beside him and rested her head on his chest. His hand came down to stroke her back and she smiled up at him.

"How are Hannah and Julie feeling?" he asked.

"They've both got headaches and have gone back to bed." She replied.

He grunted in response and continued to rub her back in slow spirals. Amelia rested her head back on his chest listening to the solid beat of his heart. Daryl had little to no interest in the drama within the camp and she had been a little surprised when he had even mentioned finding Hannah's sweater on the floor of Rick's cabin.

She sighed softly and curled up closer to Daryl, molding her body against his. He slid his hand around her side and stroked the curve of her breast.

"Tired?" he asked.

She smiled, "A little. How about you?"

He cupped her breast, his thumb rubbing over her hardening nipple. "Not that tired."

She sat up and leaned over him, brushing her breasts against his chest and placing small, warm kisses on his mouth. He groaned and curved his arm around her, pulling her against him and deepening the kiss.

She traced her tongue over his teeth before plunging it deep into his mouth, moaning when he slid his hand down her back and into her jeans. He squeezed her ass through her panties and she tore her mouth from his.

She looked down at him, "If I asked you to handcuff me to the bed would you?"

He paused, "What?"

She giggled at the look on his face. "Answer the question Daryl."

He flipped her over suddenly and covered her body with his. He nuzzled her neck, "I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy Amelia."

"Hmm…" she murmured when he suckled gently on the sensitive skin of her neck. He took her hands and pinned them above her head before sucking her bottom lip into his mouth and biting down on it.

She pulled experimentally with her arms, smiling a little when he held her down more tightly. He released her lip with a small sucking sound and grinned at her. "I could get used to this."

She scowled at him and nipped his chin, "Maybe I'd like to handcuff you to the bed."

She burst out laughing at the look of panic on his face. "Relax redneck. I'll make sure there's a safe word."

He growled and fell back on to the bed, pulling her with him until she was straddling him. She ground her pelvis against his growing hardness and he was just about to pull her t-shirt over her head when there was a loud knocking at the door of their cabin.

"Open up little brother!" Amelia tried not to grimace at the sound of Merle's voice.

Daryl gave her an apologetic look before easing her gently off of him and walking towards the door. He gave her a moment to straighten her clothing and she went to the kitchen as Daryl opened the door. Merle leaned against the door jamb, smiling widely.

"Hope I ain't interruptin' anything." He pushed past Daryl and nodded to Amelia.

"Why hello there Amelia."

"Merle." Amelia nodded to him and poured a glass of water. "Would you like some water?"

"Don't suppose ya got somethin' a little stronger?" He winked at her.

"Afraid not." She took a sip of water and then handed Daryl the glass. He drank the rest of it in three large swallows then placed the glass on the table.

"What's up Merle?"

"Thought you might want to take a stroll with me. I stumbled on a little bunny burrow a day or two ago and I've been craving rabbit stew ever since then." Merle leaned against the door.

"Plenty of bear left." Daryl said, "We don't need rabbit."

A look of anger flashed over Merle's face. It lasted for only a moment before Merle arranged his face back into a lazy grin, "Course we don't need it Daryl – but a body don't need alcohol either and it didn't seem to stop them two little bitches – " he paused and grinned at Amelia, "oh 'scuse me, two little girls, from enjoying some last night did it?"

"How do you know about that?" Amelia asked.

He winked at her, "Oh ol' Merle's got his eye on everybody; don't you worry about that."

He turned back to Daryl, "You in or not?"

Daryl glanced back at Amelia and Merle's grin widened, "Pardon me little brother; didn't realize I had to ask the little woman's permission." He looked at Amelia, "Would it be okay if little Daryl came out to play?"

"Shut up Merle." Daryl growled. He went to Amelia and stood in front of her, his back turned to his brother. She stared silently at him.

"Think I'll go with Merle for a bit." He said quietly.

"You haven't slept all night Daryl." She pointed out gently.

"Hell," Merle called out, "Me and Daryl used to stay out drinkin' and whorin' all night long and go to work the next day. He's got stamina, don't you worry about that." A small grin appeared on his face, "At least that's what the ladies used to say. He could make 'em scream all night couldn't ya Daryl?"

"Shut the fuck up Merle!" Daryl glared at him before turning back to Amelia.

She shrugged at him, "If you want to go, then you should go. It's not my decision to make."

He nodded, "I won't be gone long."

She didn't reply, just stared at him with dark, unreadable eyes. He leaned in to kiss her and although she cupped his face and kissed him back warmly, there was a distance in her eyes that made him uneasy.

"Go have a nap." He whispered. "I'll see you when I get back."

It was early afternoon when Amelia knocked on Carol's door. She opened it and invited her in with a warm smile. She put a finger to her lips, "Ellie and Jacob are napping in the bedroom."

Amelia sat down at the kitchen table, rubbing her hands together. There was a chilly wind blowing, the clouds were starting to gather in the sky and Daryl and Merle still hadn't returned.

"Do you want some tea?" Carol asked. There was a kettle beginning to boil on the small cook stove and she had a cup with a tea bag on the counter.

"I'd love some, thank you."

Carol pulled another mug and teabag from one of the cabinets and poured the hot water into both cups. She brought them to the table and sat down across from Amelia. "I'm sorry, I don't have any powdered milk here but I do have some sugar if you'd like?"

Amelia shook her head, "No, this is fine just the way it is." She bit her lip and dipped the teabag up and down in the water. The smell of the tea, warm and fragrant, drifted upwards and she pulled the teabag out, squeezing it with the spoon Carol had provided and placing it neatly on the small plate in the middle of the table.

She wrapped her hands around the mug and stared into the tea; her teeth still worried at her bottom lip.

"What's wrong Amelia?" Carol asked gently; she took a sip of her tea.

"What do you know about Merle?" Amelia asked.

"He's an asshole?" Carol responded immediately.

Amelia smiled a little, "Yeah, he's definitely an asshole."

Carol took another sip of tea, "He's loud and obnoxious, a racist, a drug addict – at least he was, I'm not sure about now – and no one from our camp missed him when he was gone." She paused, "Except for Daryl of course."

She stared thoughtfully at Amelia, "Although I often wonder just how much Daryl missed him." She gave Amelia a wry look, "Daryl doesn't talk much –"

Amelia grinned, "That's the understatement of the year."

Carol smiled, "And he certainly didn't talk about missing Merle, or even what his life was like before. But I have a feeling he spent a good deal of his life under the thumb of his big brother. I think a few months without Merle's voice in his ear did Daryl a world of good. The Daryl you know is different from the one I first met. He's gentler now. When Merle was there, he and Daryl were a part of our group but not a part of it. Do you understand what I mean?"

Amelia nodded. "I think so."

"Losing Merle forced Daryl to stand on his own, make his own decisions, and whether he realizes it or not, he's not just part of our group now – he's an important part of it."

Amelia sipped her tea, "I don't think he realizes that. And now that Merle's back, it's like the Daryl I know is slipping away. He's being replaced by the guy that Merle wants him to be. The last three days Merle has shown up on our doorstep and dragged Daryl away for the day. It's just him and Daryl out in the woods alone and God knows what kind of shit Merle's filling his head with."

She stared at Carol, "I don't understand why he has such a pull over Daryl."

Carol shrugged, "They're family Amelia. Family can be a powerful tie that binds people together. Even in a dysfunctional family like Daryl's. Merle's his big brother; he's been with him his entire life. It's hard to walk away from that."

Amelia traced her finger around the rim of the mug. She was thinking about Tom and when they had been kids. Thinking of all the times she had punched him, teased him, and gotten him in trouble with her parents. But he had always been the first to stick up for her, the first to rush to her defense if someone was teasing her, and was always willing to go along with any of her crazy childhood schemes. She hadn't cried over Tom in years but now she could feel a tear trickling down her cheek and splashing into her cup of tea.

Carol squeezed her arm and Amelia looked up, wiping her nose with the heel of her hand, "I had a younger brother Tom. He died when we were teenagers." She sighed, "I guess I can understand sibling loyalty. Still, I may not have been the nicest big sister but I wasn't abusive. Merle is – or at least was."

Carol smiled bitterly, "Trust me – the abusive ones can be harder, more dangerous, to get away from."

Amelia looked at her curiously. Carol said, "Daryl didn't tell you about Ed?"

"Daryl doesn't talk much remember?"

"Ed was my husband. He was abusive - physically, mentally and emotionally."

"I'm so sorry Carol." Amelia whispered. "Where is he now?"

"Dead." Carol said flatly.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not. He was killed when a bunch of Walkers invaded our camp one night." She took another swallow of tea, "His death was the best thing that ever happened to me and Sophia."

Amelia hesitated, "Daryl did tell me about Sophia. I've wanted to tell you how sorry I am about the loss of your little girl."

Carol smiled, "Thank you Amelia. I miss her so much."

There were a few minutes of silence as Carol stared into her mug of tea. She shook herself from her memories and smiled at Amelia again. "Try not to worry too much about Daryl okay? He loves you and he'll do the right thing."

"I hope so. But I really don't know Carol. "

"Merle's back and no doubt that he's going to force Daryl to make a decision sooner or later. But Daryl will make the right choice. He will." She said firmly.

There was a knock at the door and Ethan stuck his head in. "Hi Carol." He smiled almost shyly at her before noticing Amelia.

"Oh, I'm sorry – am I interrupting?"

Amelia shook her head, "I was just leaving."

Ethan paused in the doorway, he had a plastic shopping bag in his hand and he tucked it nervously behind his back, "Daryl's looking for you."

Amelia stood up, "Thank God he's back."

She gave Carol an impulsive hug, "Thank you for the tea and the talk. I appreciate it."

Ethan nodded to Amelia as she left the cabin and then turned to Carol. She was standing in the kitchen, rinsing out the tea mugs. He approached her, standing next to her and clearing his throat nervously.

She smiled up at him, "Jacob is still napping. He and Ellie fell asleep about half an hour ago. They were playing a pretty intense game of tag through the cabin so I imagine they'll be asleep for a while longer. Do you want to just carry him back to your cabin?"

He shook his head, "No, I can leave him here - if that's okay with you?"

"Of course. I like having him around and so does Ellie."

There was an awkward moment of silence and then Ethan shoved the plastic bag almost roughly into her arms. "Um, I got you a present."

She stared at the bag, "A present?"

He turned a little red, "Well, I mean I didn't go out to a store and buy it or anything. But I saw it and thought you might like it."

Intrigued, she opened the bag and pulled out a folded piece of soft, red material. She shook it out and held it up. It was a dress. The material was red and silky soft against her hands. It was beautiful and feminine and the prettiest dress Carol had ever seen. It was exactly the sort of dress that Ed would never have let her wear.

"It's beautiful." She breathed.

"Do you like it?" he asked eagerly. "I was going through the pile of clothes that Amelia and the others took from the department store, looking for a new shirt, and I found this. I thought it looked like something you would like."

"I love it." She murmured.

"I um, wasn't sure about the size but I took it to Lori and she said she uh, thought it would fit you. Maybe you should try it on." He stammered.

She nodded and disappeared into her bedroom. After only a few minutes she opened the door and slipped back into the room. Ethan's breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful. She stood there for a moment, running her hands nervously over the material of the dress.

"Could you zip me up?" she asked shyly.

He nodded and she turned so he could zip the dress up. He swallowed hard. She had managed to zip the dress halfway and as he reached out and grasped the zipper with slightly shaking hands, he could feel her trembling. She wasn't wearing a bra and he could feel his breathing grow heavy as he zipped the dress up slowly, watching her pale, smooth skin disappear under the silky material.

She turned back to him and although he tried not to, his eyes moved of their own accord down her body. He had grown used to seeing her in baggy pants and a cardigan but the dress hugged her like a second skin, accentuating the flatness of her belly and cupping her small breasts like a lover's touch.

As his eyes roamed her body, he could see her nipples harden against the silky material and when he finally looked up into her face again her normally pale skin matched the colour of her dress.

"You look beautiful." He said thickly. He could barely keep himself from grabbing her and pulling her to him. He curled his hands into fists beside his thighs and took a few deep breaths.

"Thank you." She whispered. She hesitated and then stepped towards him, standing so close to him he could feel the heat of her body.

"It's the prettiest gift I've ever been given." She said.

"You deserve pretty things. Because you're so pretty." He replied and then groaned inwardly at how stupid he sounded.

"You're pretty too." She whispered.

He shook his head and then, by habit, turned his face a bit to the side so she wouldn't see the scar on his cheek.

She frowned and placed her hand on his face, turning it back to face him. "Don't do that." She pulled on his face until he bent down to her and then she placed a series of soft, fluttering kisses over his mangled cheek.

He stood completely still as she kissed his cheek and the corner of the mouth. She cupped his face and then shyly, hesitantly she placed a trembling kiss on his mouth. He groaned a little and growing bolder she kissed him again. He put his arms around her waist, pulling her against him but then simply stood still, letting her kiss him. He opened his mouth and she slipped her tongue inside, exploring and sliding and flicking. Experimentally she sucked on his top lip, grinning delightedly when she was rewarded with a louder moan and his hands tightened around her waist.

"Kiss me Ethan." She whispered and he immediately thrust his tongue into her mouth. She met it with her own and for a long moment there was nothing but the sound of their hungry kissing.

With another low moan, he cupped her small breast. She stiffened a bit and he immediately stopped, pulling his hand away and staring anxiously at her. "I'm sorry Carol."

She shook her head, "Don't be sorry. It's just that, I used to – "she paused and then plunged on, hoping that what she was about to tell him didn't change his want for her, "I used to be married to a man who wasn't - he was abusive. I've never felt anything like this before. I mean, I've never," she looked down and blushed, "I've never been turned on like this before and I'm a little nervous. Frankly, I don't think I'm that great in this department. Ed told me I was… terrible in bed." She finished the last sentence in a quiet little rush before meeting his eyes almost defiantly.

He stared intensely at her for so long that she became certain he was about to simply turn and leave, but he did the last thing she expected.

"Ed was a fucking idiot." He muttered. He took her hand and placed it on the front of his pants. She gasped, she could feel him hard and throbbing even through the khaki's he was wearing and just the feel of him was causing slow waves of heat in her belly. For the first time in her life she thought there might be something about that hardness that a woman could like and she tightened her hand on him, just a little.

He sucked in his breath and then pulled her hand away, placing a gentle kiss on the palm of her hand. "You do this to me Carol. With nothing more than that dress and your kisses, you have me so hard I'm about to explode. "

Her mouth dropped open and a quiet little squeak escaped from her throat. He pulled her closer, she could feel that hardness pressing against her belly, and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. "I want you Carol. I want you so much I can barely sleep at night. But if you don't want to do this, I'll understand. Or if at any point you're afraid, I promise I'll stop the minute you tell me to. I won't ever hurt you. Okay?"

She wiggled out of his grip and he was filled with dismay but didn't try to hold on to her. Before he could leave, she took his hand in her own and tugged him towards her bedroom. "Okay." She whispered.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Amelia slipped silently into the bed beside Daryl. Once Daryl and Merle had returned, Daryl had managed to spend an hour or so with her before the fatigue caught up to him and he had gone to bed.

Amelia, feeling tired and out-of-sorts had wandered aimlessly about the lodge, visiting with Maggie and Glen, sitting with an equally silent Hannah, and reading a story to Ellie before finally going back to their cabin after dinner.

Daryl was still asleep and she had heated some water and had a quick bath. Now, she curled up to him, placing her hand on his hip and burying her face in his back. He turned and pulled her tightly against him. She could feel him, already hard, against her hip and she smiled in the darkness.

"You're awake."

"Ayuh. Woke up while ya were havin' yer bath."

"Are you hungry?" she placed a soft kiss on his chest.

He nodded and she started to sit up, "There's some canned soup in the cupboard; I can heat it up for you."

He pulled her back down, covering her body with his and pinning her to the bed. He nuzzled her neck, "I ain't hungry for food."

She shivered as he licked her neck and then blew lightly on her wet skin. She traced her hands down his back, running her fingers over the scars, as he kissed her collarbone and then placed a path of moist, hot kisses down her arm.

He grabbed the hem of her tank top and she arched her body up so he could pull the garment from her. He made a low groan of appreciation in his throat at the sight of her breasts, the nipples hard and waiting for his mouth. She sighed as he captured one rosy tip in his mouth, teasing and flicking it with his tongue. He cupped and kneaded her other breast with one strong hand as he placed a series of light, fluttering kisses along the underside of her breast and in the hollow between them.

For the next few minutes the only sound in the cabin was Amelia's soft sighs and moans as Daryl licked and sucked and nipped at her breasts. He teased and touched until she was crying out and shifting restlessly beneath him. Only then did he begin a slow path of kisses down her flat stomach. He stopped at her belly button, dipping his tongue into it and making her jerk and cry out beneath him. He traced around it with his tongue. Her skin was warm and soft and smelled like soap and he inhaled deeply. He didn't think he would ever get tired of tasting her skin.

He moved his body down until his chest was next to her thighs. He lay on his side beside her, propped his head up with one hand and with his other hand slid one finger just below the waistband of her panties. He traced a lazy path along the edge of her panties, a small smile on his face when she gasped and dug one hand into his arm. She pushed on it, silently urging him to move his hand down but he resisted.

She groaned in frustration but before she could speak he sat up and pulled her panties down her legs. She kicked them free of her feet and panting, pulled a condom from the drawer.

"Here." She pushed the foil package at him and he took it from her but didn't open it.

"Daryl," she moaned, "Hurry."

He grinned at her, "There's no hurry honey."

He leaned over her and placed a soft kiss on her pubic bone. She shuddered and a long, harsh sigh escaped from her lips. He moved between her legs and pushed her thighs apart with his shoulders. He ran his hand over the smooth skin of her inner thigh before dipping his head and mimicking the path with his mouth and tongue. Her thighs tightened and then relaxed as he ran his fingers lightly over them.

He pushed her legs apart until she was completely open to him and rested on his stomach between her legs. He slid his hands under her and cupped her bottom, lifting her up until she could feel his warm breath on her. She was trembling and moaning softly under her breath. At the first touch of his tongue on her warm folds, she twitched wildly and grabbed the sheets.

Daryl placed soft kisses and gentle licks until she was arching her hips against him and panting loudly. Finally she moaned, "Please Daryl."

"What honey?" he whispered against her.

She could sense his smile and she pleaded again, "Oh please."

With a low groan of his own he dipped his head and finally ran his tongue over her clit. It was hard and swollen and at the first touch of his warm tongue, she bucked her hips and cried his name. He licked it roughly as she mewled and twisted beneath him, her fingers clutching at his head and pushing him harder against her. When her breath was coming in short, hard gasps and she was grinding her hips against him mindlessly, he sucked gently on her clit and she came immediately. He held her hips down, forcing her still, and licked and sucked as her orgasm rippled through her. She was panting harshly, her body shuddering and shaking and she wasn't aware that Daryl had sat up, pulled the condom on and was kneeling between her legs until he thrust his cock deep inside of her. She cried out and squeezed her thighs helplessly around his narrow hips.

"Wait, Daryl – please wait!" She cried out. Daryl could feel the muscles of her smooth, wet core clenching uncontrollably around his shaft as the last of her orgasm shuddered through her. He gritted his teeth and tried to stay still, tried to ignore the way her flesh pulsated around him, the way she dug her nails into his arms and rocked her hips against him in small jerky motions.

He leaned down and kissed her deeply. It was a slow and tender kiss and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him to her as he placed soft, warm kisses on her cheeks and lips.

"Wrap your legs around me." He whispered against her mouth.

She hooked her legs around his hips, crossing her ankles in the small of his back and he groaned as the small movement opened her up and he sank even deeper into her warm body. He began to move slowly at first, letting their bodies rock together in a gently swaying rhythm but as Amelia's small moans turned into loud cries of pleasure, he propped himself on his hands above her and began to thrust hard into her.

"Look at me honey." He rasped.

She opened her eyes and stared into his. She smiled, the slow warm smile he had grown to love, and continued to stare at him as he rocked and pushed and thrust into her. Her dark brown eyes grew hazy as the pleasure built deep inside of her and as she climaxed again, shuddering and letting her legs fall limply from him, he moaned her name and collapsed on her, burying his face in her neck as his body shook with his own climax.

Fifteen minutes later Amelia was almost asleep with Daryl's warm body pressed against her back, when his voice whispered in the darkness, "How was yer day?"

She yawned, "Good, how was yours?"

He kissed the back of her shoulder, "Fine. What did ya do?"

"Um," Amelia blinked and tried to focus. Her body felt like a warm pile of goo and she wanted nothing more than to drift off. "I don't know. I had tea with Carol and then I just hung out I guess." She yawned again. She could barely keep her eyes open and she snuggled deeper into the covers like a turtle into its shell.

"Who did you hang out with?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she asked sleepily.

"Who did you hang out with today? Was it," he paused, "Michael?"

"Wha?" she was just barely awake now, balancing on the thread between being awake and being asleep, "No, uh Maggie and Hannah, Glen..." she finished the sentence in a quiet little mutter before sighing deeply and slipping into sleep.

Daryl lay awake in the darkness, listening to Amelia's soft breathing. He was tired but his mind wouldn't shut down. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard Merle's voice in his ear. They had spent the last 3 days together, tramping through the woods, searching for game and killing any Walkers they came across. Despite losing a hand, Merle was surprisingly adept at killing them and he almost seemed to take pleasure in the killings.

He thought back to the conversation he'd had with Merle this afternoon as they had waited patiently for their rabbit snare to trip.

"What's going on with your bitch and that nigger?" Merle had asked suddenly.

Daryl stared at him, "You might not want to refer to Amelia as a bitch." A small smile crossed his face remembering the day she had slugged him.

Merle rolled his eyes. "Whatever little brother. What's going on with them?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Merle."

"That tall, ugly-as-hell darkie. What's going on with them?" Merle picked up a small stick and tapped it softly on the frozen ground.

"There ain't nothin' goin' on with them. They were in a group together before ours, they were friends – they ain't now."

"Huh." Merle studied the ground.

After a few moments of silence, Daryl glanced at him, biting at the skin on his thumb, "Why?"

"Oh nothin', just curious is all." Merle gave him a wide smile.

"Fuck you Merle, you got somethin' to say, then say it." Daryl said impatiently.

Merle shrugged, "They don't look at each other like they ain't friends."

Daryl shook his head, "Michael's in love with her, won't accept that Amelia's mine, she told him to stay away from her, end of story."

"Well, that's the thing little brother, I don't think yer little woman's been stayin' away from him." Merle said softly.

"Bullshit." Daryl spat.

Merle grabbed Daryl's shoulder and twisted him to face him, "Yer treadin' dangerously close to callin' me a liar Daryl. Now, I may be a lot of things but ya know for a fact that I ain't a liar."

Daryl stared at him. He was right. Merle was a lot of things – a racist, a drug addict, an all around asshole when he wanted to be, but Daryl couldn't ever remember a time when Merle had lied to him. In fact, all things considered, it might have been easier on Daryl if Merle had lied occasionally. Finding out at age eleven that your mother was a crack whore who, a couple years after giving birth to you, had abandoned her children for her drug dealer had been a bitter pill to swallow.

"How long ya known yer woman Daryl?" Merle asked.

Daryl shrugged, "A few months."

Merle tipped his head at him, "I'm yer big brother Daryl – ya believe that I'm just lookin' out for ya?"

When Daryl didn't respond, just stared steadily at him, Merle sighed. "Ya need to open yer eyes little brother. Yer woman's playin' games."

He squeezed Daryl's shoulder roughly, "I hate to tell ya this, but as soon as we leave the camp, yer woman goes to that dumb darkie."

Daryl's clenched his hands into fists but before he could strike, Merle held up his hand, "I ain't sayin' they're fuckin'; I'm just sayin' that they've been spendin' an awful lot of time together for two people who supposedly ain't even friends."

"And how the fuck would ya know Merle? You've been with me remember?" Daryl sneered.

"I've got my ways little brother, don't ya worry about that. Yer not the only one who can make new friends. I had my suspicion which is why I been draggin' ya out with me and askin' my friend to keep an eye on yer woman."

"Yer friend is lyin'." Daryl said flatly.

Merle shrugged, "I think yer dumb ass is blinded by love." He grabbed Daryl's shoulder again, "I'm doin' this cause I care about ya Daryl. Kin remember? And there ain't nothin' or no one that can come between kin."

Daryl's thoughts were interrupted by Amelia wiggling away from him as she often did during her sleep. This time he let her go and stared thoughtfully at her retreating back. Amelia wouldn't renew her friendship with Michael without telling him, he was almost sure of it, but Merle's words niggled incessantly in the back of his brain. Merle was right, he didn't know Amelia all that well, and although she never said a word about it, he knew that telling Michael they couldn't be friends had been painful and upsetting for her.

He sighed and rolled over on his side away from Amelia. He needed to speak to her about Michael but he decided he would stick close to her for the next few days, watch her when Michael was around and gauge her reaction to him. If anything seemed off or weird to him, he would talk to her then.

He closed his eyes, ignored the small voice in his head that called him a chickenshit, and tried to sleep. After only a few minutes, he rolled over to Amelia and pulled her back into his arms. She frowned a little and sighed in her sleep but made no attempt to move away as he curled himself around her. The warmth of her body and the smell of her skin calmed him and within minutes he was asleep.


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

"Hannah? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Hannah looked up from the book she was reading at the long wooden table in the kitchen of the lodge. "Sure Jeremy. Have a seat." She patted the chair beside her.

He sat down and smiled at her. It was the first genuine smile she had seen from him since his parents had died and she smiled back happily.

"How are you today?" she reached for his hand and linked their fingers together.

"I'm good - really good."

"You don't know how happy that makes me Jeremy." She squeezed his hand and he gave her another smile.

"Yeah. Listen, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for me and Scott. You've been really good to us you know?"

"You don't have to thank me honey. I like spending time with you and Scott."

He shrugged, his bony shoulders visible against his t-shirt. "Anyway, you're a good person and I, well, I love you Hannah. I want you to know that."

She stared at him, "I love you too Jeremy." She leaned forward and gave him a brief, hard hug.

He hugged her back and then stood up, "I'd better go. Good-bye Hannah."

Something about the way he said good-bye tugged at Hannah's subconscious but before she could question him, Rick was standing beside them.

"Hello Jeremy."

"Hey." He replied briefly.

"Hannah, when you're done with Jeremy, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Jeremy shrugged, "We were just finishing." He left the kitchen. Hannah stared after him, feeling uneasy but not knowing why.

"Hannah?" Rick said quietly.

"Yeah?" she answered distractedly, still staring after Jeremy's retreating figure.

"I owe you an apology."

"What do you mean?" he had her full attention now.

"A couple of days ago, you asked me something and I lied to you."

"Lied to me about what?" she asked.

"That night you were drinking with Julie and I brought you back to my cabin." He looked down at the table. "You asked me if anything happened between us and I said no."

"Oh God." Hannah groaned inwardly. "This cannot be happening."

"The truth is something did happen and I feel terrible about lying to you." He looked up at her, his green eyes staring gravely at her. "We kissed, and then, well you – "

She held her hand up, "Rick stop."

He paused and she squeezed her hands together nervously, "Listen, before you go all "True Confessions" on me, I have something to tell you. I lied too. I didn't forget what happened that night, I just, I was too embarrassed to bring it up."

"Jesus." He wiped his hand across his forehead and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have lied about it."

She shook her head, "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I stepped way over the line and basically forced you into –"

"No." he spoke firmly, "Stop that right now. You didn't force me into anything. I took advantage of you when you were drunk and I feel like the biggest asshole in the world."

She smiled feebly at him, "I told you - I wasn't drunk, just tipsy. And you didn't take advantage of me. I wanted it as much as you did."

"Then why did you pretend you didn't remember the next morning?" he asked.

She shrugged helplessly, "Because I – I don't know why. I panicked, I was embarrassed, I had a really bad headache and didn't feel all that great. Plus I felt like I had forced myself onto you and then when you didn't acknowledge it either I figured you wanted to just forget about what happened."

He took one of her hands in his and rubbed small circles on the palm of her hand with his thumb, "I will never forget what happened that night." She licked her lips nervously and his eyes darkened in response.

"In fact," he whispered, "I can't stop thinking about it. I'd very much like to return the favour."

An image of Rick, his head between her thighs and his mouth kissing her most intimate spot, rose in her mind. She could almost feel the way his beard would both tickle and scratch and she squeezed her thighs together as a small, involuntary moan escaped from her lips.

He gripped her hand and leaned forward.

"Rick." She whispered. "We shouldn't do this."

"Probably not." He agreed. "But I can't seem to get you out of my head." He was going to kiss her, right there at the table, and instead of pulling away like she should have been, Hannah found herself leaning towards him.

"Hannah?" Sara's soft voice broke through the haze and Hannah jumped back, giving the old woman a guilty look.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," she nodded to Rick, "but I need to speak to you about Jeremy."

"Sure. What's wrong?" Hannah asked.

"Well," Sara paused, her blue eyes were full of anxiety and her mouth was trembling slightly, "He came over to me a few minutes ago. He said he was feeling better and then he thanked me and he told me he loved me." She stopped. "He said all the right things but something's not sitting right with me about it." She stared first at Hannah and then at Rick, "I'm not making any sense at all, I know."

Hannah stood and put her arm around Sara. She was shaking like a leaf, "I just – something's not right Hannah." She whispered.

"It's okay Sara. I believe you. He said the same thing to me and it didn't feel right to me either."

Rick stood up, "Wait – what exactly did he say?"

"He seemed happy; he was smiling and he told me thank you for everything I had done for him and Scott and then he said goodbye."

"Shit. We need to find him right now." Rick ran out of the kitchen and into the main area. He scanned the room quickly, "Glen – where's Jeremy? Have you seen him or Scott?"

Glen shook his head, "Jeremy left about 10 minutes ago. I think Scott is with Hershel and Beth in their cabin."

Rick ran out of the main lodge; Hannah followed him, "Rick, what's going on?"

"We need to find Jeremy right now." He flagged down Daryl and Amelia who were just leaving their cabin. "Have you seen Jeremy?"

They shook their heads as Isaac ran up to Rick. "Are you looking for Jeremy?"

"Yes – have you seen him?"

Isaac nodded, "Yeah, he said he was going to go have a nap. He went into his cabin."

"Go get Scott. He's at Hershel's cabin. Tell him to get over to his cabin right now. Go!" he pushed Isaac in the direction of Hershel's cabin and he and Hannah sprinted to the cabin that Jeremy shared with Sara and Scott.

They burst through the door and Hannah ran in the direction of Scott and Jeremy's room. Her heart was pumping madly and dread and anxiety was coursing through her veins. She pushed open the door and squinted in the darkness. She could just make out Jeremy sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Jeremy?" she breathed a sigh of relief and started towards him. "Honey, are you okay?"

Behind her Rick grabbed her arm and yanked her to a stop. She glared at him and tried to pull her arm free, "Rick, what -?"

"You shouldn't be here Hannah. Please leave. Rick, take her away." Jeremy said quietly.

"Jeremy honey, I'm worried about you. I think you should – " the words died in her throat when she saw the gun in Jeremy's hand.

"Jeremy…" she whispered, "Honey, why do you have that gun?"

"I'm so tired Hannah." He smiled at her. "I'm tired of missing my mom and dad. I'm tired of being afraid." He held the gun up and stared thoughtfully at it.

"I know you are baby." Hannah whispered. "We're all afraid, but we have to remember the good things."

He shook his head, "There aren't any good things left Hannah. It's just darkness and death."

"That's not true." She said frantically. "What about Scott? You're all he has left now." She pulled her arm free from Rick's grasp and moved a few feet towards the bed.

"Don't Hannah." Jeremy warned. Her blood ran cold when he pointed the gun at his head. "Please, don't come any closer okay?"

"Okay honey, okay." She put her hands up and backed up a step. "Just, put the gun down for a minute okay? Let's just talk for a little bit."

He sighed, "I don't want to talk anymore. I just want it to be over."

"Please Jeremy, you're really scaring me right now. Please put the gun down." She pleaded.

He shook his head again and gave her a smile so full of sorrow and pain that her heart ached and her throat constricted painfully. "Scott." She tried again, "You can't leave Scott alone." She inched forward slowly until she was standing at the edge of the bed.

His smile brightened a little, "But he's not alone Hannah. He has Beth now, and Hershel and Sara and you. He won't be alone. He doesn't need me anymore."

"That's not true honey. He needs you; you're his brother, you're the only family he has." Tears were beginning to slip down her face.

He stared at her, his face so pale it almost seemed to glow in the dimness. "It's better this way."

"Please baby boy – you don't have to do this." Hannah begged softly.

"Tell Scott I love him." Jeremy whispered. He put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Hannah sank to her knees. Her ears were ringing from the gunshot and faintly she could hear Amelia's horrified gasp behind her and then Scott was barreling into the room.

"Jeremy? JEREMY?" He saw his brother's body on the bed and screamed. It was a sound full of anguish and pain and he threw himself onto the bed beside his brother.

"Jeremy?! Oh God! No please! Please Jeremy, wake up!" He howled and shrieked and tried to pull his brother into a sitting position.

"Hershel! Daryl! Help me get Scott out of here right now!" Rick was struggling to pull the screaming, yowling Scott off the bed. He punched and kicked at them but Daryl and Hershel quickly overpowered him and pulled him, still sobbing, out of the room.

Rick knelt beside Hannah. "Honey, look at me."

She didn't respond. Amelia knelt on the other side of her and placed one hand on her back.

"Hannah." Rick said firmly, "Look at me." Slowly, she turned her head and stared up at him. Her face and chest were splattered with blood and bits of Jeremy's brain and her eyes were huge. The blank look in them scared him badly. She stared at him, through him, for a moment and then slowly shifted her gaze back to Jeremy's body. The shot had blown most of his head off and blood, brains and white shards of skull were splashed everywhere.

"Oh my God." Amelia whispered. "Rick, we need to get her out of here."

He picked her up, she was as limp as a ragdoll in his arms, and left the room. He carried her across the clearing, Amelia running to keep up with his long strides. "Take her to her cabin." She said, "We need to get her cleaned up."

He nodded but before he could climb the stairs of her porch, the rest of the group was pouring out of the lodge, drawn out by the gunshot and Scott's screams. Carl ran up to him and Rick turned away so he wouldn't see Hannah's blood splattered face.

"Dad? What's wrong? What happened? Is Hannah okay?" Amelia placed a hand on Carl's shoulder and prevented him from stepping around to face his father.

"She's fine Carl." Rick said. "Just give me a minute okay?" The others were starting to gather close and Amelia pushed Carl back towards his mother.

"Go stay with your mom for a minute Carl." She motioned for him to go back and he frowned at her.

"What's wrong with Hannah?"

Amelia grabbed Rick's arm; Daryl was leaving Hershel's cabin and heading towards them. "Give Hannah to Daryl." She murmured. "We'll take her in the cabin and get her cleaned up. You talk to the rest of the group about what happened."

Rick hesitated, staring down at Hannah's face. He didn't want to leave her, didn't want to hand her off to Daryl but Amelia shook his arm urgently, "Rick - you can see her later. You need to talk to the rest of the group. Give her to Daryl."

Daryl reached for Hannah and he passed her gently to him, ignoring the twinge in his belly when she was no longer in his arms. He ran a hand through his hair, staring up after them as Daryl carried Hannah into her cabin and Amelia shut the door behind them.

He turned to the group. They were staring at him with large, frightened eyes and when Carl ran up to him and put his arm around his waist, he squeezed him tightly into his side and prepared to tell the others about Jeremy.

"Hannah, lean your head back so I can rinse your hair." Amelia said as she gently tugged on the back of Hannah's neck.

It was nearly 40 minutes later; Daryl had hauled water and heated it on the cook stove before pouring it into the tub for her. He'd left Amelia alone in the bathroom with Hannah and she helped Hannah strip off her clothes and climb into the tub.

She had scrubbed the blood and brains from Hannah's face, making soft, soothing noises under her breath as she did so. Hannah was completely quiet. She stared straight ahead and although she did everything Amelia asked her to, she made no attempt to communicate. The few times Amelia had gotten her to look at her, she had seemed to stare directly through her. It reminded Amelia of the way Ellie had been after the slaughter at the farmhouse and she tried to keep both her voice and hands steady as she bathed Hannah.

"Okay, stand up Hannah." She urged her to her feet and out of the tub where she dried her quickly. Hannah was already beginning to shiver despite the warmth of the bathroom. There was a long t-shirt hanging on a hook on the back of the bathroom door and Amelia helped her into it. She led her out of the bathroom, Daryl looked up from where he was pacing nervously in the kitchen, and sat her down on the bed. She sat behind her and ran a comb through Hannah's wet blonde hair.

"There, that's better." Amelia whispered. "Clean and dry and your hair combed." Hannah didn't reply and Amelia gave Daryl a troubled look. She pulled Hannah back against her and wrapped her arms around her. She began to rock Hannah back and forth.

"Hannah, will you say something please?" she whispered.

When Hannah didn't reply, she sighed and tucked her into the bed, making sure the blankets were wrapped securely around her shivering body.

She headed to the kitchen and into Daryl's arms. "I don't know what to do. She's like Ellie was." She whispered.

Daryl kissed the top of her head, "She'll be okay honey. She just needs some time."

"I'll stay with her tonight." Rick was sitting beside Hannah on the bed. He stroked her hair back from her face as Amelia frowned at him.

It was early evening. Amelia had stayed with Hannah all afternoon while the others had buried Jeremy's body. Scott was staying with Hershel and Beth. Hershel had given him a sedative and the boy had slept for most of the evening, and Sara had moved into Isaac's cabin, staying in Ethan's now empty bedroom.

Carol had brought dinner for both Amelia and Hannah but neither of them could get Hannah to drink or eat. She hadn't spoken a word since Jeremy had killed himself in front of her and she neither spoke nor acknowledged Amelia or Carol.

"Rick, I don't think that's a good idea. I'll stay with Hannah tonight."

Rick continued to stroke Hannah's hair. She was curled up into a tight little ball under the covers, staring blankly at the wall and he could feel her trembling minutely under the blankets.

"I don't care what you think Amelia. I'm staying with her tonight, end of discussion."

Amelia opened her mouth to argue but Daryl shook his head and pulled her away. "Let him stay Amelia. If it was you lying there, I wouldn't let nobody keep me away from ya. It'll be fine. C'mon, let's go back to our cabin."

Amelia crawled onto the bed and lay down beside Hannah. She rested her forehead against Hannah's, "Daryl and I are going to leave. Rick's going to stay with you tonight but I'll see you first thing in the morning okay?" she kissed Hannah gently on the cheek before sliding off the bed.

"Take good care of her Rick."

He nodded, "I will."

Rick sighed heavily. Nearly two hours had passed and despite his whispered pleas, Hannah still refused to speak. About half an hour ago, he had stripped off his sweater and sat on the bed beside her in his t-shirt and jeans. He leaned against the headboard and stared up at the ceiling. It was so quiet he could hear the gentle inhale and exhale of Hannah's breathing and the sound comforted him. He rested his hand on her shoulder. He wouldn't sleep, he was too worried about Hannah to sleep but he would close his eyes and rest for a bit. He wished Hannah would cry or speak or even just uncurl from the little ball she had been in all day. He thought about her smile, her laugh, her expressive blue eyes, and drifted. The doze quickly turned into a deep sleep.

He was awakened by Hannah straddling him. Her hands tugged on his t-shirt and still half-asleep he raised his arms and allowed her to pull it from his body.

"Hannah?" he blinked as she leaned forward and placed a warm kiss on his chest.

"Are you okay?" He couldn't stop the small moan when she licked and nibbled on his throat.

"Hannah, what are you doing?" he muttered. He cupped her face and forced her to look at him. The terrible blankness was gone from her eyes and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey. Are you feeling better?" he smiled at her.

She didn't answer. Instead, she pressed her mouth against his and pushed her tongue between his lips.

He pushed her back a bit, "Hannah, wait. You've been through something terrible and you're not thinking straight right now."

She pressed her finger to his lips. She leaned forward, placing her mouth at his ear. "Please." She breathed. "I need you."

She sucked on his earlobe and with a low groan he cupped his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her head back. He kissed her hungrily, his tongue seeking the warmth of her mouth as she ran her hands over his chest and ribs.

She was panting into his mouth, making small groans and sighs of pleasure as she rocked her hips against him. She reached down and tugged frantically at the button on his jeans, groaning with frustration when she couldn't get it undone."

"It's okay," he whispered, "We have all night."

She shook her head and kissed him again. She gripped his head in her hands, holding him tightly, and kissed him hard. By the time he broke free of her mouth, he was panting harshly and was suddenly as frantic for her as she was for him.

He slid his hands under her t-shirt; she was naked underneath and they both gasped when he cupped her bare breast for the first time. He ran his thumb over the nipple, it hardened immediately under his touch, and she bit down hard on his lip.

With a sudden low growl, he grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it almost violently over her head. He stared at her pale, naked body for a moment. Her breasts were small with pink coloured nipples and he reached out and cupped both of them, pinching her nipples lightly between his fingers and thumbs. She moaned and leaned forward, rubbing her breasts against his chest. He ran his hands down her back and cupped her bare ass, squeezing the pale flesh as she licked and suckled and then bit down on his bare shoulder.

She pulled again at his jeans, this time succeeding in unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. He raised his hips a little as she tugged and yanked his jeans and underwear down to his upper thighs. She sat back down, grinding herself against his cock and he whispered her name at the first feel of her soft, wet center against him.

"Oh God Hannah." He groaned. She didn't reply, just pushed on the back of his neck, lifting her body up a little so that his mouth was guided to her breast. He sucked on her nipple, pulling and teasing and nipping it with his teeth until the small pink nub swelled and hardened in his mouth. She moaned and gasped and the way she was rubbing herself against his cock was driving him crazy. He was just about to tell her to stop, to slow down, when she raised up slightly, reached between them to hold his cock steady and thrust her hips down, impaling herself onto his swollen shaft.

They both cried out with pleasure. He could feel Hannah's nails digging into his shoulders as he pulled her against him and kissed her neck and collarbone and shoulders. She reached up, gripped the headboard behind him and began to ride him hard. She braced her knees on the bed beside his hips and rocked and thrust into him, using the headboard for support.

He slid his hands around her and gripped her ass, pushing her down harder and faster against him. She threw her head back and stared wild-eyed at the ceiling. He ran his fingers across her hips, making her tremble and then slipped his hand between them. He touched her clit, rubbing his finger across it. It was swollen and soaking wet and he swelled inside of her in response to her wetness. He began to rub it in slow circular movements as she cried out and arched her back.

He could feel her muscles tightening around him as he leaned forward. She let go of the headboard and threw her arms around him, pushing her body against his and trapping his hand between them. He rubbed harder and she arched her back again and cried out "Oh God, Rick!" before coming fiercely. With one final hard thrust he came, her muscles pressing and contracting around his pulsating member.

She collapsed against him, panting harshly into his ear and he ran his hands soothingly over her back.

"Hannah, I – "

She shook her head, placing her finger across his lips once more before easing off of him. She lay on her side, pulling on his arm until he slid down beside her. She wrapped his arm around her, placing his hand on her breast and pushing her body back into him. She sighed softly and closed her eyes as Rick brushed his lips across her temple.

"Goodnight Hannah." He whispered; she squeezed his arm in response.


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Hannah moved quietly across the clearing. Frank and Ethan hadn't given the okay but at the first sign of dawn she left the cabin. Frank was knocking on Lori's cabin and Ethan was knocking on Daryl and Amelia's cabin; they both nodded at her but made no effort to chastise her for leaving her cabin.

She entered the main lodge, it was quiet and cold, and built up the fire in the large cook stove in the kitchen. She put on the kettle and started to make a simple breakfast for Scott. As she was waiting for the water to boil, there was a noise behind her and she turned to see Lori entering the kitchen.

Hannah's cheeks turned red and she nodded briefly to Lori before grabbing a mug and putting a tea bag in it.

"Good morning Hannah." Lori said.

"Hello Lori." Hannah stared at the counter.

"You're up early."

"I thought I would take Scott some breakfast. See how he is this morning."

Lori nodded, "That's nice of you. Poor Scott, I can't imagine how he's feeling." She stood next to Hannah and stretched up to get her own mug from the cupboard above her. "I think we should have some type of service for Jeremy today. I was thinking maybe Sara could say something at the service; she was close to Jeremy. What do you think?"

There was silence and Lori glanced at her, "Hannah?"

Hannah was staring at Lori's stomach. As she stretched to get her mug, her shirt had ridden up and her gently rounding belly was clearly visible.

"You're pregnant." Hannah whispered; her face had lost its entire colour and her mouth was trembling.

Lori pulled her shirt down then smiled self-consciously. "Yes. I guess I'm starting to show."

"Does –" Hannah swallowed, "everyone know?"

"Everyone from our original group does. Now that I'm showing I guess it won't be long before everyone else does."

Hannah nodded, "Well, uh congratulations."

A strange look crossed Lori's face, "Thanks."

Carol entered the kitchen, followed by Jacob and Ellie, "Good morning."

Beth opened the door after Hannah's quiet knock. "Hi Hannah." The young girl looked tired and her eyes were swollen from crying. "Come in."

"I brought him some breakfast. How is he?" Hannah set the tray down on the kitchen table and rubbed her hands across the front of her jeans.

Beth shrugged, "He's sleeping right now. The sedative Dad gave him kept him out most of the night but he woke us up at about 3 with a nightmare. Dad gave him another light sedative; he'll probably be out for another couple of hours."

"We thought we would have a service this morning for Jeremy. Can you let Scott know when he wakes up?"

Beth nodded as Hannah opened the door of the cabin, "Let me know if he needs anything okay?"

"I will. Bye Hannah."

Hannah stood on the porch of the cabin and shivered in the cold. Her cabin was only three doors down but she had no idea if Rick was still sleeping in her bed or not. She walked quickly to Amelia's cabin, cursing herself for being a chicken, and knocked on the door. It opened and Daryl nodded to her and stood aside to let her in.

Amelia was just coming out of the bathroom and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Hannah standing just inside the door. She crossed the room quickly and pulled Hannah into a hug. She kissed her cheek with a loud smack, "How are you honey? I was just coming over to your cabin."

Before Hannah could answer, Daryl interrupted, "Amelia, I'm going to head out. I'll see you this afternoon okay?"

Amelia nodded and gave him a warm kiss, "Don't forget your gloves. It looks like it's going to be cold."

He nodded and left. Amelia glanced at Hannah, "He's on watch this morning with Merle."

Hannah took her coat off and followed Amelia to the kitchen. Daryl had started the cook stove and Amelia put the kettle on it to boil. She pulled a jar of instant coffee out of the cupboard along with two mugs and spooned some of the coffee into each of them.

She turned back to Hannah, "How are you this morning?"

Hannah opened her mouth to say she was fine and was horrified when she burst into loud, wracking sobs. Amelia was beside her and hugging her before Hannah could even wipe her face. "I'm sorry Amelia." She sobbed.

Amelia rubbed her back and squeezed her tightly, "Don't be sorry Hannah. Go ahead and cry. You need to cry." At Amelia's words, the tightness in Hannah's chest that had been there since the moment Jeremy had shot himself seemed to loosen. She buried her head in Amelia's shoulder and wept.

"Daryl!" He turned to see Rick leaving Hannah's cabin and hurrying towards him, "Have you seen Hannah?"

"Ayuh. She's in the cabin with Amelia."

"Thanks." Rick started towards the cabin but Daryl grabbed his arm.

"I'd leave them be for right now Rick."

"I need to speak with Hannah." Rick replied.

Daryl nodded, "Yeah. But Hannah looked like she needed to talk with Amelia and ya might want to give them time to do their girl talk thing. And yer boy's headed this way."

Rick looked behind his shoulder to see Carl trotting towards him. He put his arm around Rick's waist, "Hey Dad."

"Hello Carl." Rick kissed the top of Carl's head.

"How's Hannah doing?"

"Better I think. Why are you up so early?"

He shrugged, "I dunno, I couldn't sleep. I felt bad about Jeremy."

Rick put his arm around his shoulders, "Do you want to have breakfast with me?"

Carl nodded, "Yeah."

"Better?" Amelia smiled at Hannah.

"Yes." Surprisingly, Hannah did feel better. She had cried for about 15 minutes before excusing herself to the washroom to blow her nose and wash her face. Now, sitting at the table, sipping the coffee Amelia had poured for her, she was starting to feel like herself again.

"I feel so terrible for Scott." She whispered, staring down at her coffee cup.

"I know." Amelia said.

"I feel like I failed Jeremy you know? We were really close back at our camp. I was close with both him and Scott and then we got here and I just stopped spending time with them. When Jeremy needed me the most I wasn't there."

Amelia shook her head, "You can't blame yourself Hannah. None of us knew how badly Jeremy was feeling."

"But I should have! I should have seen it earlier. Instead Ethan had to tell me he wasn't doing well. I was too busy thinking about myself, about Rick, about sleeping with Rick." She slammed her fist down on the table. "I am such a fucking idiot."

Amelia reached out and took her fist in her hand. She worked at her closed fingers, forcing them open and rubbing gently at Hannah's hand. "It's normal to feel guilty Hannah. We all feel guilty, but beating yourself up about it because you were living your own life isn't going to help you or Scott. Do you understand that?"

Hannah nodded.

"Good." Amelia squeezed her hand and then took her own sip of coffee. "How was your evening last night? Did you and Rick talk?"

Hannah shook her head and blushed a little, "No. I didn't feel like talking."

"He was pretty worried about you last night." Amelia smiled at her, "He wouldn't let –"

"Lori's pregnant." Hannah blurted out.

"What?" Amelia stared at her thunderstruck.

"I was in the kitchen this morning getting some breakfast for Scott and I saw her belly. She's just starting to show."

"Are you sure?" Amelia frowned.

Hannah nodded, "Yes. We talked about it. I told her congratulations." She laughed bitterly.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." Amelia said, "At least you and Rick haven't slept together. It would be a lot worse if –" she paused as she realized Hannah was staring at her miserably.

"I slept with him last night." Hannah said hoarsely, "I just, I needed to feel something you know? He had fallen asleep sitting up in the bed last night and I was laying there beside him thinking about Jeremy and my friend Natalie. Did I ever tell you about Natalie?"

Amelia shook her head no.

"Natalie is, was, my best friend. She was killed by Walkers shortly after the infection started." Hannah shuddered at the memory. "Anyway, I was thinking about them and how afraid I was of dying and I suddenly realized that trying to deny how I felt about Rick was stupid. I wanted him and he wanted me. I was tired of trying to fight that. So I woke him up and we had sex."

She rubbed at her forehead, "Then I found out that his wife is pregnant."

Amelia sighed, "Well shit. But does Lori being pregnant really change anything? She was obviously pregnant when she kicked Rick out. Just because two people are having a baby doesn't mean their relationship is going to work."

Hannah shook her head, "But they should have every chance to make that relationship work Amelia. And even if they believe that it's over, once the baby comes, it'll be different. They need to work this out and I'm not going to be the person who stops that from happening."

Amelia reached out and took her cold hand in hers, "I'm sorry Hannah."

"Me too Amelia; me too."


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Rick glanced at Hannah. It was early afternoon and the group had gathered around Jeremy's grave. She was standing with Amelia, holding Amelia's hand tightly as Sara spoke about Jeremy. She was dry-eyed but the look of desolation on her face made his throat ache. He hugged Carl to him as Scott wept quietly and steadily to his left. He realized that Sara was about to pray and he bowed his head.

Sara's voice, low but strong, washed over the group, "Lord, we know that you have welcomed Jeremy into heaven and he is in the embrace of his mama and daddy. We ask today that you place your loving hands on Scott; heal him, protect him, and bestow your mercy and grace upon him. In your name we pray, Amen."

There were scattered "Amen's" throughout the group and Rick watched as Hannah approached the weeping Scott. She placed her hand on his shoulder, "Scott – I'm so sorry honey. If there's anything I can do to help, just ask me okay?"

"Like you helped Jeremy?" Scott whispered.

"Scott, I –"

"He had a crush on you, did you know that Hannah?" Scott stared at her.

"No, I didn't."

"Well, he did. We used to tease him about it but he didn't care. He loved spending time with you. Then mom and dad were killed and we came here." Scott angrily wiped the tears from his face. "And when he needed you the most - you weren't there."

"I'm so sorry. You're right; I should have spent more time with both of you." Hannah whispered. She reached out to hug him and he suddenly and violently pushed her away.

"He needed you Hannah!" he shouted at her, "He needed you and you abandoned him! Just stay away from me; I hate you!" He started to sob again, and Beth and Hershel led him back to their cabin.

Rick started towards Hannah but Amelia beat him to her. She tried to wrap her arm around Hannah's shoulders but Hannah pulled away. Her face was pale and drawn and she shook her head at Amelia and said something to her before turning and fleeing to her cabin.

Rick headed toward Hannah's cabin; Amelia grabbed his arm as he walked by her. "No Rick." She shook her head, "Leave her alone."

"She shouldn't be alone right now." He protested.

"She wants to be alone; leave her be." Amelia said firmly. "I'll check on her before dinner."

Rick nodded and walked back to Carl as Michael approached Amelia.

"Amelia, can I talk to you?"

Amelia sighed and turned around, "What is it Michael?" It was the first time Michael had even attempted to speak to her since she had told him they were no longer friends and she stared at him warily.

He glanced around, "Could we talk in private in your cabin?"

She pursed her lips, "I don't think that's a good idea."

He nodded, "Just step into the trees with me then. Please." He gave her a pleading look, "It'll only take 5 minutes."

She sighed again, "Fine. Five minutes Michael." She followed him across the clearing and into the trees. "This is far enough." She could still see the clearing but the trees provided some privacy.

He leaned against a large pine tree, "Lia, I want to apologize once more for everything that's happened between us. I didn't mean to upset you and I want you to know that I am more sorry than I can say. I wish I could just be friends with you; I really do."

When she didn't reply, he hurried on, "I'm leaving. I thought you should know."

"What do you mean leaving?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Leaving the camp, leaving the group, I'm just leaving. I can't stay here any longer. I love you. I wish I didn't, but I do and watching you with Daryl every day is killing me. I have to go."

She stared at him, "I don't know what you want me to say Michael. I don't want you to go but it's because you're my friend and nothing else. I'm sorry."

He shook his head, "Don't be sorry. I'm not telling you this because I want you to feel sorry or beg me to stay. I'm telling you because I knew you would feel bad if I just left without saying anything."

She sighed, "I feel guilty either way Michael. Are you sure you won't change your mind? Julie cares for you a great deal; maybe with time –"

He shook his head, "No Lia. I love you; I've loved you from the first moment I met you. I was stupid to wait so long to tell you. If I had maybe –" he stopped, "It doesn't matter now."

She was staring at the ground and when she looked up, her eyes were swimming with tears, "I'm so sorry Michael. You're a good man, one of the best I know, and I'm sorry I don't love you the way you want me to."

He smiled at her, "I'm sorry too."

She cleared her throat, "When are you leaving?" 

He shrugged, "I don't know yet. Sometime next week I think. I need to talk to Rick about taking one of the vehicles."

"Where will you go?" she whispered.

"I have some family back East; I might try to find them."

She wiped the tears from her face, "Good luck Michael."

"Thanks. Listen, keep this to yourself okay? I don't want anyone else to know."

She nodded and as he straightened up from the tree and started to walk past her, she grabbed his hand. He turned to her and she opened her arms. He pulled her to him, lifting her off the ground and hugged her fiercely.

She hugged him back, the tears falling freely now, "Take care of yourself Michael." She whispered.

He nodded and set her back down on the ground. He cupped her face and gave her a brief, gentle kiss on the mouth. "Goodbye Amelia."

"Little brother you need to see this." Merle was scanning the woods with his binoculars.

"See what?" Daryl grunted.

"Get your ass over here and see for yourself." Merle grumbled.

Daryl crossed the blind and peered with his own binoculars. He sucked in his breath. Just beyond the clearing Amelia and Michael were talking. As he watched, Michael started to walk past Amelia; she reached out and took his hand and they hugged before Michael kissed her. Daryl's face twisted in anger as Michael left and Amelia crouched down on the ground, rested against the tree and buried her face in her folded arms. She cried for nearly 5 minutes before standing up and walking back to the clearing.

Daryl put the binoculars down. His face was hot and he felt sick to his stomach as Merle regarded him gravely. "I tried to tell you little brother. Yer woman ain't what she seems." He ignored Merle and walked to the other end of the blind, staring silently into the woods.

Rick tried to stay away from Hannah. He sat in the main lodge with Carl and the others for a few hours but when Carl began to play a card game with Glen and Maggie, he slipped out of the main lodge and headed towards Hannah's cabin.

She was sitting in a chair on the front porch of her cabin, wrapped in a quilt and smoking a cigarette when he quietly sat down in the other chair beside her.

"Hey." He said.

She took a final puff of her cigarette and crushed it out in the empty soup can on the table beside her.

"Hello Rick." She replied.

"I didn't know you smoked."

She pulled another cigarette from the pack and lit it, inhaling deeply before blowing the smoke out into the cold air. "Yeah, there are a lot of things you don't know about me."

"Do you want to talk about what happened with Scott?"

"Nope, I most certainly do not want to talk about what happened with Scott."

"What he said wasn't true Hannah. He's just upset and angry and lashing out at people." Rick said soberly.

She dragged deeply on her cigarette, "Everything he said was 100% true. I did abandon them; mostly because I had an itch that needed to be scratched and I couldn't see anything beyond that."

He watched as she blew out smoke rings, "That's not true Hannah. You can't blame yourself."

She shook her head, "I really don't want to discuss this with you Rick."

He nodded, "Okay. We should talk about last night though."

Her face reddened a little bit, "No, we don't need to talk about that either."

Rick sighed, "Yes we do."

She turned to face him, the smoke from the cigarette in her hand curled lazily around her face but he could still see the coldness in her eyes, "It was a mistake Rick. I shouldn't have done that and I apologize for my behaviour."

"You don't need to apologize Hannah. We've both wanted this for a long time; we need to talk about where we go from here. What we do about us."

"Us?" Hannah frowned at him. "There is no "us" Rick. We had sex; that was it."

He reached out to take her hand but she pulled it away, "It wasn't just sex and you know it."

She stared at him, her face cold and distant, "No, I'm afraid I don't. I'm not sure what you think is going on with us but last night was about finding a release and nothing more."

"I don't believe you."

She shrugged and inhaled deeply on the cigarette, "That's your problem. I used you last night Rick and I'm sorry for that. But I'm even sorrier that you've read more into it then you should have. I was upset and lonely last night; I was just looking for a warm body and you happened to be there. If it had been Ethan or Michael I would have done the same thing."

"Hannah - stop this." Rick said quietly.

She stared steadily at him, "I'm not proud of myself or my behaviour, but maybe it's good for you to see who I really am."

He squeezed the arms of the chair he was sitting in and tried to keep his voice even, "Fine. It meant nothing to you. We still need to talk about it. In case you've forgotten we were stupid and didn't use protection last night. What happens if you get pregnant?"

Hannah laughed bitterly, "That won't happen."

He frowned, "You don't know that for sure."

"Oh trust me, I know." She laughed again, this time it had a sarcastic edge to it, "Do you remember when you asked if I was married? How I told you that Daniel left me for someone who could give him something I couldn't?"

He nodded.

She laughed bitterly again, "Daniel left me because I couldn't have children. He loved kids, wanted a whole houseful and so did I. Two years into our marriage we found out that my lady parts were broken. Daniel had a better chance of getting pregnant than I did. Our marriage hobbled on for another few years; we discussed adoption and surrogacy but in Daniel's mind our marriage died that day in the doctor's office. He fell in love with someone else who could give him kids and left me."

"I'm sorry." Rick said.

She puffed on her cigarette and stared moodily across the clearing, "Are we done Rick? I'm sorry for making you believe last night was something more than it was but I'm tired of talking and I'd like to be left alone. Do you understand?"

He stood up and walked stiffly down the stairs, "I understand perfectly. Goodbye Hannah."

"Goodbye Rick."

Hannah watched Rick walk to his cabin. When the door closed behind him, her face crumpled and tears began to flow down her cheeks. She let them fall, crushing the butt of her cigarette and lighting a third one immediately.

Her skin felt too hot and her stomach was rolling with nausea. The look on Rick's face when she told him last night had met nothing was killing her; just thinking about it made fresh tears stream down her face. She had forced herself to be cold and distant with him even though she desperately wanted to throw herself at him and have him hold her and tell her everything would be fine.

"It's better this way." She whispered to herself. If he hated her it would be easier for her to forget his sweetness and the way she felt when she was with him. She wiped the tears away, stared miserably at the woods surrounding them and thought about leaving.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

"Hey." Amelia smiled as Daryl walked through the door of their cabin, "How was watch?"

"Fine." He grunted. He took off his boots and walked into the kitchen. Amelia stood up from the couch and followed him.

He was facing the counter, his back to her and she leaned against him, wrapping her arms around him and frowning when she felt his body stiffen. "They're going to be eating soon in the main lodge." She kissed the back of his neck, "Are you hungry? We could join them or just stay in tonight. There's some canned soup in the cupboard." She rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I ain't hungry." He pulled free of her embrace and stalked to the living room. She trailed after him.

"Daryl, what's wrong?"

He shrugged, "There ain't nothin' wrong."

"Something's obviously wrong. Tell me what it is. Maybe I can help."

He laughed cynically, "Yeah, maybe."

She stepped in front of him and forced him to look at her. "Daryl, are you angry with me? Have I done something?"

"Now why would you ask that Amelia? Ya got a reason for me to be angry with ya?"

She frowned, "I don't know Daryl. You're acting so weird. Why don't you stop playing games and tell me what the problem is."

"I should stop playing games? That's rich coming from you." He sneered.

"If you have something to say to me Daryl Dixon, then just say it." She could feel her own anger rising.

"I know what you've been doing." He hissed suddenly.

She stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you've been seeing Michael behind my back. Tell me - was he breakin' off yer little fuckfest this afternoon in the woods? Is that why ya were so upset?"

She stared at him, her face blanching, "You have it all wrong Daryl. I haven't spoken to Michael in weeks; in the woods today was the first time we've spoken since we got back from the other camp. And it was only because he wanted to tell –"

"Stop lying to me!" he roared at her.

"I'm not!" she shouted back. "Why the hell would you think I'm seeing Michael? I love you Daryl." She tried to cup his face in her hands but he yanked out of her grip.

"You got a funny way of showing love don't ya Amelia? Merle knows what yer up to and he told me."

"Oh Jesus." Amelia rolled her eyes, "What exactly has Merle been telling you Daryl?"

"He told me how ya've been seein' Michael whenever I'm not around." He seethed.

"He's lying." She said calmly.

"Merle don't lie to me. Besides, I saw ya with my own eyes this afternoon. Did you forget I was on watch?" he curled his hands into fists.

When she didn't reply, he glared at her, "Well did ya?"

She sighed, "Are you honestly going to stand there and tell me that you believe Merle over me."

"Merle ain't never lied to me." He repeated stubbornly.

"And I have?" she took a deep breath, "Daryl, honey, I know you love your brother but he's trying to tear us apart. Can't you see that? Whether it's for his own amusement or because he hates me or fuck, I don't know – maybe he doesn't want you to be happy. Whatever it is – it's working."

He shook his head, "Are you fucking Michael or not?"

"If you trusted me the way that I trust you, you wouldn't ask me that."

"Just answer the fucking question." He shouted at her.

She shook her head, "No I won't answer it. Get out Daryl. If you think Merle is looking out for you - if you believe you can trust him over me, then maybe you should stay with him."

He stared at her for a moment, his breathing coming in short, hard gasps before turning and storming to the front door. He pulled his boots on and left the cabin. Amelia collapsed on the couch and buried her face in her hands.

* * *

><p>Merle stared at the man in front of him. "Later today or tomorrow my little brother is gonna be askin' ya about that nigger and his woman. Ya know what to say."<p>

Isaac nodded. "Yeah."

"Well," Merle prompted him.

"I'll tell him that Amelia and Michael have been spending time with each other whenever he's not around." Isaac said.

"And ya'd better be convincing." Merle warned.

"I will be." Isaac said irritably. "Are you sure that once Daryl and Amelia break up that she'll go to Michael?"

"Ayuh. And then that little half-breed bitch will be all yours."

"You shut your mouth about Julie you ignorant redneck." Isaac hissed. "You're not fit to lick her boots."

Merle stepped closer, "Ya wanna watch yer mouth around me Isaac."

Isaac flushed and stepped back. "I'm not like you Merle. I'm only helping you because I love Julie. Do you get that? I love her. And before Michael came along she was falling in love with me."

Merle laughed, "Ya don't have to explain yer actions to me Isaac." He slapped him roughly on the back, "Ya scratch my back and I'll scratch yers."

"Are we done here?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah. But you just remember what yer supposed to do. If ya decide to change yer story when talkin' to my brother, I'll rip yer tongue out. Ya get that?" Merle gave him a small tight smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I get it." Isaac muttered. He spotted Julie walking from her cabin to the main lodge and he sprinted after her. "Julie! Hey Jules – wait up."

Daryl was waiting for Merle when he returned to his cabin. He was pacing the room like a caged tiger and the moment Merle opened the door, he pounced on him. "Yer friend – who is it?"

"Slow down there Daryl. What's the problem?"

"Just tell me who yer fuckin' friend is Merle." Daryl snarled.

Merle held up his hand, "Okay, don't get yer panties in a bunch. It's Isaac. I just saw him headin' to the main lodge."

Daryl stormed out of the cabin and Merle smiled at his retreating back.


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Hannah knocked on Amelia's door. Amelia hadn't eaten dinner with the others, although Daryl was there, sitting sullenly at the table beside Merle, and she had approached Daryl as soon as supper was finished.

"Is Amelia not feeling well?" she asked, ignoring the way Merle looked her up and down.

"Damn girl. Yer lookin' good. Ya filled out a bit but I don't mind." Merle winked at her.

She continued to ignore him, "Daryl? Where's Amelia?"

He shrugged, "She ain't my concern any longer."

Hannah's mouth dropped open, "What the hell are you talking about Daryl?"

Merle smiled, "Why don't ya ask yer friend sweetcheeks. She's the one who's been cheatin' behind my brother's back."

"Fuck you Merle." Hannah spat at him, "Amelia would never cheat on Daryl."

Merle's face turned red and he grabbed Hannah by the upper arm, "Ya watch yer mouth around me bitch, ya hear?"

"Take your hand off me." Hannah said quietly.

Merle chuckled, "Or what? Ya gonna cut it off?"

"It won't be your hand I cut off." She said coldly.

Merle scowled, "Ya threatenin' me? Is that it?"

"Knock it off Merle." Daryl said quietly.

"Do we have a problem?"

Hannah looked behind her to see T-Dog and Melissa approaching her.

Merle smiled and released her arm, "Not at all Mr. Dog. Not at all."

"Daryl –" Hannah started but he turned and walked away. Merle followed him, clapping one arm around his shoulders and whispering something in his ear.

"Hannah, are you okay?" Melissa asked.

She nodded, "Yeah, but I need to talk to Amelia. I'll talk to you later okay?"

Now, she knocked again, "Amelia honey, it's Hannah. Can I come in?"

The door unlocked and Amelia opened it. "Hey Hannah."

Her face was pale but her eyes and nose were swollen and red. As Hannah followed her to the kitchen, she blew her nose and sank into one of the kitchen chairs.

"What's going on?" Hannah took off her coat and put the kettle on the cook stove to boil.

"Merle told Daryl that I was fucking Michael when he's not around and Daryl believes him."

She started to sob weakly and Hannah put her arm around her, "Why would he believe him? There isn't any proof of that; hell 90% of the time you're not with Daryl, you're with me. I'll talk to him." She started to stand but Amelia pulled her back down.

"Don't bother Hannah. He believes Merle. After the service for Jeremy, Michael wanted to talk to me in private. We stood in the woods and he told me he was leaving the group. He couldn't watch me be with Daryl any longer and he had to leave. I told him I was sorry and when we were finished talking I hugged him and he gave me a kiss."

She stared miserably at Hannah, "It didn't mean anything. I shouldn't have hugged him I guess but Michael and I used to be friends you know? Good friends. At least that's what I thought – I had no idea he was in love with me. I made the right decision in ending our friendship but it doesn't mean I don't miss him and when he told me he was leaving I just – I wanted him to know that I still cared about him."

She blew her nose, "Anyway, Daryl was on watch and he saw the whole thing. It just added fuel to Merle's fire. He wouldn't even give me the chance to explain, just said I was lying to him. I asked him why he trusted Merle over me and that I would never believe something like that about him. He asked me if I was fucking Michael and I refused to answer."

She stared at Hannah, "I don't know, maybe I should have answered it but dammit Hannah, he should trust me. The fact that he doesn't, that after everything we've been through he can honestly believe that I would cheat on him with Michael..." she sighed. "I don't know how to get past that."

Hannah squeezed her shoulder, "Honey, you know I like Daryl but he had a fucked-up childhood and Merle's been spewing his rage and bile at him for most of his life. Frankly I'm surprised at how normal Daryl turned out to be."

Amelia gave a bitter little laugh. Hannah shrugged, "Merle's his big brother; he was the most important thing in Daryl's life for years and now that he's back I'm not surprised he's trying to gain control over Daryl again. I think Daryl's just confused and trying his best to merge his old life with Merle with his new life with you."

"He just kept saying that Merle has never lied to him, as if that was solid proof of my cheating on him." Amelia shook her head, "I've never been hurt by someone so much in my life Hannah. I know Merle is his brother but the fact that he believes him over me..." She started to cry again, "Why would he do that?"

"He's just confused and upset but he'll realize what he's done and come crawling back for forgiveness." Hannah replied. "He loves you Amelia. It's obvious."

"But he doesn't trust me." She whispered. "He doesn't trust me."

Hannah hugged her again and got up to make them both cups of tea. "Do you want to stay with me for awhile?"

Amelia shook her head, "I told Daryl to get out. I told him that if he thought Merle was looking out for him then he could stay with him."

She looked around, "His stuff is still here though. He'll have to come and get it." More tears coursed down her face.

"I'm supposed to be on watch tonight with Hershel but I bet T-Dog would cover it for me." Hannah said, "I can stay with you tonight."

"No. I'll be fine. I could probably use some time alone." Amelia gave her a wan smile. "I'm just going to sit here and feel sorry for myself anyway."

Hannah smiled, "Yeah but misery loves company."

Amelia wiped her eyes, "Speaking of which – have you spoken with Rick?"

"We can talk about it later."

Amelia accepted the cup of tea and blew gently on it, "I don't mind talking about it now. What happened?"

"Nothing really happened. He wanted to talk about what happened last night and I told him it meant nothing, that I was looking for a release and he just happened to be there."

"That's not the truth though." Amelia replied.

She shrugged, "No. It wasn't. But lying to him was necessary Amelia. He should be with his wife and son right now."

"Do you love him?"

"I don't know." She smiled at Amelia, "I know I believe he's a good man who is struggling to do the right thing and lying to him about what last night was is making me feel like a horrible human being."

"What about Scott? Have you spoken with him?"

Hannah sighed, "No. Hopefully with time he'll forgive me. I'm not sure that I deserve his forgiveness anyway; he has the right to hate me the way he does."

"He's just young and upset. He's lost his entire family within a month's time and he's looking for someone to blame." Amelia replied.

"Yeah, maybe." Hannah looked out the window, "I'd better get up to the blind; are you sure you don't want me to stay with you tonight?"

Amelia nodded. "I'll be fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow okay?"

"Hey guys." Hannah pulled herself up the ladder and climbed onto the blind. She stood up and brushed the dirt from her knees. "How is it?"

Glen and Maggie, who had taken over for Daryl and Merle mid-afternoon, both shrugged. Maggie handed her the high-powered binoculars, "It's been quiet. We saw a couple of Walkers earlier but they were a few miles out and headed in the opposite direction of camp."

Glen glanced up at the darkening sky, "Looks like you're in for some weather tonight."

Hannah nodded, "Yup. I'm wearin' my woollies under my jeans."

"Who are you on watch with tonight?"

"Hershel. He should be here any minute, you guys go on and get to your cabins before it's dark." Hannah smiled at them.

"Are you sure?" Maggie asked. "We don't mind waiting."

"I'm positive." Hannah took the radio from Glen and carefully clipped it to her belt. Who's on the other end tonight?"

"T-Dog and Ethan have the radios tonight." Glen replied.

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. Although typically there were never issues at night with Walkers, she wanted to avoid any possibility of having to talk to Rick.

"Great. Have a good night guys." Hannah waved as Glen and Maggie carefully descended the ladder.

She glanced at the sky; dark clouds were gathering and already the wind was starting to pick up. It was going to be a cold night and she jammed her knitted hat more firmly on her head and rewound her scarf around her neck. She had gone through the pile of clothes that Amelia and Daryl had raided from the department store and found a pair of women's long underwear. They were too long, meant for someone much taller than her, but she had just pulled them up until the waistband was snug under her breasts and then pulled her jeans over them.

The key to staying warm while on watch, Melissa had explained to her, was layering. She had heeded her advice and always layered carefully for her night watch shifts. In addition to her long underwear and jeans she was wearing cotton socks with a thicker pair of men's wool socks over top of them. She was wearing a thin t-shirt with a long-sleeved shirt over it, a fleece jacket over the shirt and the winter jacket she shared with Melissa. A wool hat, scarf and gloves completed the outfit.

She walked to the far end of the blind. Blind was a bit fancy for what it actually was Hannah thought. Her uncle had been an avid hunter and his blind had been large and built on stands among the trees. It had been completely enclosed with small narrow openings and seats built into it. The blind she was currently standing on was nothing more than a ten by eight piece of plywood that was weathered and worn with age. It was surrounded by a low rickety railing that was designed to keep people from falling off the blind, but Hannah was positive the railing would fall apart with a simple push. It wasn't enclosed, although at some point someone had hobbled together two walls and a partial roof using thin sheets of plywood and a piece of badly rusted tin. The small roof provided some protection for either one large man or two small people. There used to be a wooden bench bolted to the floor but unfortunately Michael had broken the bench in two simply by sitting on it. There were two blankets piled neatly on the floor where the bench used to be and Hannah had a feeling that despite the layers of clothing she and Hershel would be using the blankets tonight.

There was a noise behind her and she turned, a welcoming smile on her lips, "Hey Hershel, how are –"

She stopped. Rick was stepping up to the blind, his lean body hidden under layers of clothing, just like hers.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Hershel's not feeling well. I got picked to cover his shift." He replied.

"Picked or did you volunteer?" she frowned.

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not." She walked to the covered end of the blind, keeping as much distance as she could between her and Rick. He stooped and picked up the other pair of binoculars, using them to scan the woods in the rapidly growing dark. After satisfying himself that there were no dangers, he started towards the covered end of the blind. Hannah immediately stepped out from under the roof and moved away as he picked up one of the flashlights kept in a small cardboard box in the corner.

He checked that the batteries were working and glanced at her, "You have the radio?"

She nodded and turned her back to him. Her stomach was in knots and she wanted to climb down the ladder and bolt back to her cabin. Instead, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths and scanned the woods with her binoculars. It was pointless, the approaching storm and the late hour had covered the surrounding woods in a thick, black blanket, but she needed something to keep her occupied.

She lowered the binoculars and stared blankly into the darkness. It was going to be a long night.


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Daryl crossed his arms under his head and stared sightlessly at the ceiling of the small bedroom. He could hear the wind blowing outside; every few minutes a particularly strong gust of wind rattled the shutters on the window. It was buried beneath the familiar sound of Merle's snoring. Even in separate bedrooms with two closed doors between them, Merle's snoring still reached his ears.

He had found Isaac in the main lodge and he had confirmed what Merle had told him. "It isn't every day," Isaac had told him earnestly, "but more often than not when you're not around, Amelia is with Michael in his cabin."

When Daryl had only stared silently at him, Isaac had flushed, "They weren't like real obvious about it or anything. I just happened to see Amelia leaving Michael's cabin one morning and I mentioned it to Merle. He asked me to keep an eye on them for him." He had looked down at the ground, "They've been pretty sneaky about it which is why I figure there's something going on they don't want anyone to know about."

Daryl sat up, letting the covers pool around his waist and glanced at the empty spot in the bed beside him. He was angry with Amelia, angrier than he'd ever been with anyone in his life but there was an aching loneliness in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't deny. Despite her betrayal a part of him, a shamefully large part, wished he was with her now, curled up in their bed with her warm skin against his.

As the rain started and the wind picked up, he fell back against the bed, put his arm across his eyes and waited for the morning.

Hannah wrapped the blanket more tightly around her shivering body and bowed her head as the rain began. She could feel the small pellets of ice bouncing off the back of her neck. The wind was blowing fiercely and she squinted as it blew the hard pellets into her face. Rick grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the small covered section. The rain pounded against the tin roof, filling the small space with sound and Rick leaned into her, placing his mouth against her ear.

"Stay under here with me."

She shook her head and tried to pull away. He scowled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his body and pinning her arms down. "Don't be stupid Hannah." He had to shout to be heard over the rain. "It's freezing rain and the wind is picking up. You'll be blown off the blind."

Hannah stopped struggling and stood stiffly in Rick's arms. He released her cautiously and she immediately started to shiver again. Despite her layers of clothing and the blanket wrapped around her she was freezing. Rick had the other blanket wrapped around him and as she watched, he backed away from her and sat down on the floor of the blind, leaning his back against one wall. He stretched his legs out around her; the space was so small he couldn't stretch out completely. His knees bent, he rested his feet against the opposite wall and opened his arms. What he wanted was obvious and after a moment's hesitation, she sighed, pulled the blanket from her body and sat down on the floor between his legs. He pulled her back until she was snug against his body and wrapped them both up in his blanket before taking the second blanket and clumsily spreading it around them both. He tucked his arms back under the layers of blankets and put his arms around her body, hugging her tightly against him. She leaned her head against his shoulder and spoke into his ear.

"You're holding me too tightly."

"You're freezing. You need to warm up." Even being freezing and uncomfortable, his warm breath on her ear still brought a twinge of desire to her belly.

"I can't breathe." She grumbled.

He loosened his grip a little and she took a deep breath. She was grateful for the layers of clothing they both wore, not just because of the protection they provided from the cold, but because they prevented her from properly feeling Rick's body behind hers.

The wind was howling and the blind was swaying alarmingly underneath them. She put her mouth to Rick's ear again, "Is this thing going to collapse?"

He shook his head, "No."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

"Great." She sighed. "We're doing an awesome job on watch tonight Rick."

He shrugged again, "Not much we can do about it. Besides, I don't think we need to worry about Walkers sneaking up on the camp tonight."

"I guess."

"You might as well try and sleep." He shifted her against him.

She snorted, "I'll never sleep. It's too cold."

"Try." He persisted, "There's no point in both of us being awake."

She leaned her head back against his shoulder and turned her face into the scarf around his neck. She was still cold but the blankets and Rick's body heat were helping. She closed her eyes and dozed.

Sometime later she woke; her body was numb and although the rain had stopped, the wind was still blowing fiercely. The blind swayed and creaked beneath them. She squinted up at Rick. She thought he was sleeping but it was so dark it was nearly impossible to tell. What she did know was that she was frozen to the bone. She had never been so cold in her life. She needed to move, to get the blood pumping through her veins and bring some feeling back to her limbs. She unwrapped the blanket and started to get up, Rick's arm immediately tightened around her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I need to move." She replied, her teeth were chattering so hard she could barely talk. "I'm freezing."

She stumbled up on to her feet and walked out from the small shelter. The wind hit her immediately. It was cold under the shelter but it had at least blocked the wind and she was out there for less than a minute before she staggered back to Rick.

She stood in place and stomped her feet, swinging her arms back and forth, nearly hitting Rick in the face as he stood up, wincing painfully and gingerly walking in place.

Hannah shivered and chattered and tried to ignore the painful tingling in her feet and hands. Rick picked up the blankets and stood next to her.

"What time is it?" she raised her voice to be heard over the wind.

"I'm not sure but I think it's close to dawn." He said loudly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had slept for that long." She apologized.

He shrugged, "It was fine; I think I dozed for a while myself."

She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to stop shivering.

Rick frowned. Hannah's face was white and her lips were blue. Her teeth chattered continuously and she was shaking so hard, she could barely stand. He made a sudden decision and unzipped his coat.

"Wha-what are you doing?" she stuttered.

"Take your coat off." He motioned. He was wearing a fleece jacket underneath and he unzipped it as well; she could see the t-shirt he was wearing underneath it.

"Are you crazy?" she shivered. "I'm not taking my jacket off."

"Hannah, trust me. You're freezing and this is the fastest and easiest way to warm you up. C'mon we need to be quick before I start to lose too much body heat to be of any help."

He tore his gloves off and unzipped her jacket, pulling it off of her before yanking off the fleece jacket she was wearing under it, leaving her in her long-sleeved shirt and t-shirt. Moving quickly he wrapped the fleece jacket around her waist and tied it at the back before draping her winter coat around her waist and tying it at the front. He pulled her against him and zipped his own fleece jacket up around the two of them before struggling to zip the winter coat around them. It wasn't quite big enough so Hannah flattened herself against Rick until he could ease the zipper up to the back of her neck.

He backed her into the corner and rubbed her back roughly through the layers of clothing, "You'll start to feel warmer soon."

Her teeth still chattering, Hannah tried to nod. Under the coats she stripped her gloves off, letting them get trapped between Rick's back and the jacket. Her fingers were cold and numb and she slipped her hands under Rick's t-shirt and placed them against his bare back.

"Christ, your hands are cold." he swore loudly and she couldn't help but grin a little despite her misery.

"Cold hands, warm heart." She stammered, her teeth still chattering.

He smiled down at her, his face so close to hers that she could see the smile even in the darkness. "Are you starting to warm up?"

She nodded, "I think so." The walls and Rick's body completely sheltered her from the wind and she had to admit that Rick was right. The close proximity to his body heat was helping.

"Your lips are still blue." He frowned.

She tried to joke, "If your scarf wasn't in the way you'd have cold hands on your back _and_ a cold mouth on your neck."

He dipped his head and kissed her mouth.

"Stop that." She whispered.

"Okay." He agreed before kissing her again. She moaned a little and willingly opened her mouth when he traced her lips with his tongue. She flicked her tongue lightly against his, making him groan and tighten his arms around her.

She ran her hands up and down his back as they kissed. The heat of his back had warmed her fingertips and she traced them lightly down his spine, feeling the smooth skin and muscle. He groaned in frustration, pulling his mouth from hers to trail a path across her cheek and to her ear. He nudged her hat up and nuzzled her ear, tracing the outline of it with his tongue.

"You're wearing too many clothes." He complained. His hands traveled uselessly over her body, feeling nothing but layers of clothes.

She laughed a little, "I'm not stripping down so forget it."

He kissed her again. Hannah smiled to herself; it reminded her of being a teenager with Greg, her first boyfriend. They were both shy and nervous and their frequent make-out sessions had been mostly kissing and very little else. Except, Hannah thought dreamily, Greg's kisses hadn't made her feel like she was going to explode with desire.

As Rick's tongue leisurely explored her mouth, his beard lightly scratching her face, she sighed and pushed her hips against his. She was finally warm for the first time in hours and the ache between her thighs was growing more insistent. She could feel his erection against her belly and she wiggled her hands around until they were on his chest. She sucked on his bottom lip and at the same time ran her thumb back and forth over his nipple. He shuddered against her and gripped the back of her head tightly.

He pulled his mouth away and gave her a warning look. "Keep doing that and I'll undress you right here."

She stared at him; her clear blue eyes liquid pools of need, "No you won't." she whispered, "I'll get frostbite on my delicate bits."

He smiled a little, "Good point. I definitely don't want your delicate bits getting frost bitten."

"I like having you at my mercy." A small defiant grin rose on her lips and she pinched his nipple with her thumb and forefinger.

"Cheeky." He growled before kissing her hard. His tongue explored every part of her mouth and vaguely she was aware that his arms were no longer around her and he was pulling and wrenching on the sleeves of the jacket.

She gasped in surprise when his hands, his very cold hands, were suddenly sliding up under both of her shirts and cupping her breasts.

"Cold!" she squeaked and tried to pull away but Rick's jackets, the arms now swinging empty, were still firmly zipped around them and she was trapped.

He pulled the cups of her bra down until her breasts slipped free and he could cup her bare flesh. A small smile crossed his face when her nipples hardened immediately, although he wasn't sure if it was from desire, his cold touch or a combination of the two.

"Too cold." She said breathlessly, squirming helplessly as he rolled her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

"Cold hands, warm heart." He whispered. The wind had started to die down and he could hear the soft moans and gasps she was making as he cupped and kneaded her breasts. Her head fell back and he nosed her scarf out of the way so he could place warm kisses on her exposed neck. She shivered as he moved his hands down to her jeans and slipped them inside the waistband.

He frowned, his fingers tugging on the thin cotton. "What's this?"

"My woollies." She grinned.

He traced them back up to where the waistband was tucked just under her breasts. She blushed, "They're a bit too big."

He kissed her as he rolled the waistband of the long johns down to her waist before slipping his hand underneath them. He slid his hand inside her panties and his fingers were against her moist heat before she knew what was happening.

"Rick, wait!" she gasped against his mouth. He stilled, his hand cupping her throbbing sex.

"This isn't right." She said softly.

"What isn't right?" he whispered, "This?" he moved his thumb until it brushed against her clit. She dug her short nails into the bare skin of his back.

"No!" she bit her lip, trying to stop the loud cry from escaping. "I'm sorry, but I'm just – I'm just using you." She lied.

He kissed the corner of her mouth, "I like being used by you." He slid his longest finger inside of her and this time a cry did escape her mouth. "In fact, I think I need to insist that any time you get the urge to use someone, you come to me." He moved his finger slowly while his thumb circled and pressed and rubbed against her small pink nub.

"Rick…" she moaned as he slid another finger deep inside of her. She was very wet and he could feel her inner muscles squeezing around his fingers.

He kissed her, drawing her tongue into his mouth and sucking hard on it until she was left gasping and rocking her hips against his hand. She made small moans and whimpers as he brought her closer and closer to her climax.

"I love the little noises you make when I touch you Hannah." He whispered into her ear. He pulled his fingers from her, ignoring her groan of frustration, and began to rub her clit with quick firm touches.

He cupped the back of her head, his fingers tightening around the wool cap. "Open your eyes Hannah." He demanded.

She obeyed, staring into his eyes as he slowed the motion of his fingers until he was just barely caressing her. She panted and writhed against him. "Please." She groaned.

"Tell me what you want." He stared intently at her.

"Rick, please I…" she squeezed her thighs around his hand; she couldn't stop staring into his warm, green eyes.

"Tell me." He insisted. He was barely touching her now, the tips of his fingers just glancing against her, and she was nearly frantic with desire. "What do you want?"

"I want you to make me come." She said in a low, clear voice.

He claimed her mouth with his and lightly pinched her clit between his thumb and finger. She cried out into his mouth, her body jerking as her orgasm rushed through her. She collapsed against him, weak and trembling as he slipped his hand out of her pants and rubbed her back.

He smiled down at her; her cheeks were flushed with colour and there was still desire in her eyes as she stared hungrily at him. He realized he could see her too clearly; the dark had lifted and the cold light of dawn was all around them. With a sigh of regret he kissed the tip of her nose and pulled her woollies back up; he squeezed her breasts gently, her nipples were still hard and it sent another wave of need through his body, but he forced himself to tuck them back into the cups of her bra.

He slipped his arms back into the sleeves of his jackets and unzipped them, feeling a pang in his belly when she slipped away from him, unwrapping her jackets from around her waist and pulling them on quickly. She was starting to shiver again and he handed her a pair of binoculars before grabbing his own. They each took a side and quickly scanned the woods and the camp area for any Walkers but the entire world seemed to be an ice-covered, silent wasteland. Hannah's sudden shudder had nothing to do with the cold. It was creepy being out here this early with no birds singing, and no animals moving among the grey trees.

She glanced at Rick, he stared soberly at her and she could see her own discomfort mirrored in his eyes. He held his hand out to her, "C'mon, let's wake the others."

She took his hand and he led her to the ladder. He climbed down quickly and stared up at her, "Be careful, the ladder is slippery."

She moved slowly, making sure each foot was secure on the rung before moving down. She was only halfway down the ladder when he reached up and took her around the waist, lifting her down and placing her gently on her feet.

"Thanks." She gave him a small nod. He tried to take her hand as they headed towards the clearing but she stuffed her hands into her pockets. He stiffened slightly but didn't say anything. The ground was covered in ice and Hannah, staring at Rick's back, slipped on the ice and landed hard on her ass.

Rick was immediately crouching beside her, lifting her to her feet as she groaned and rubbed her butt. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." She muttered. "My ass broke the fall." She rubbed it again, wincing as she did.

"Did you hurt your tailbone?" Rick asked anxiously. He reached around her and began to press firmly on her butt.

She started to giggle, "Uh Rick…"

"What?" he said distractedly as he continued to push and press on various parts of her butt.

"I appreciate your concern but um…" she giggled again and Rick finally realized what he was doing. He grinned boyishly at her and her stomach did a lazy flip flop as he squeezed her ass and pulled her up against him. He kissed her thoroughly and despite her recent orgasm, she could feel her body responding to him.

"After we wake the others, I'll come to your cabin and you can use me for a while longer." He said huskily.

"Rick," she swallowed, "I think –"

He shook his head, "You think too much Hannah." He kissed her again, weakening her resolve, and by the time he was finished kissing her she was clinging to him weakly.

"I'll meet you at your cabin okay?" he whispered.

She nodded, "Okay."

They moved across the clearing, Rick climbed the stairs to T-Dog and Melissa's cabin, knocking before announcing loudly "All clear."

Hannah knocked on Merle's cabin and moved to Julie's as Rick knocked on Carol and Ethan's. She smiled shyly at him as they met back in the middle and started to the other side of the clearing. With a loud bang, the door to Lori and Carl's cabin opened and Carl flew down the stairs. He slipped and slid across the ice towards them.

"Carl – you know you're not supposed to come out until you're given the okay." Rick chided.

"It's mom." Carl's face was white and there was fear in his eyes. "Something's wrong with her. She's sick and she can't get off the couch."

"I'll get Hershel and wake the others." Hannah said quietly.

Rick nodded and followed Carl to his cabin.


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Rick entered the cabin and squinted in the dim light. Lori was lying on the couch covered with a blanket. She looked pale and sweaty. Carl ran to her and kneeled beside her as Rick sat on the edge of the couch beside her.

"Lori? Is it the baby?" he asked.

She swallowed, "I'm having cramps and bleeding a bit."

"Hershel's on his way." He glanced at Carl, "Carl, can you run to the bathroom and get a cold cloth for your mom's forehead?"

Carl nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. Lori started to sit up and grimaced, her hand going to her belly.

"Don't move Lori." Rick told her, placing one hand on her leg.

She stared at him, her lips trembling and tears in her eyes, "I'm so scared Rick."

He nodded, "I know."

She reached out her hand and he took it in his, squeezing it gently as Hershel opened the door and slipped into the room.

Hannah was heading towards her cabin when the door to Lori's cabin opened and Hershel waved her over before disappearing into the cabin again. She hesitated, wondering if she could pretend that she hadn't seen him. She had run to Hershel's cabin, waking him and asking him to go to Lori's cabin before methodically knocking on the other cabins. Now, she wanted nothing more than to go back to her cabin, have a hot bath and crawl into bed.

She sighed and made her way to Lori's cabin, climbing the stairs and knocking lightly on the door. Hershel opened it immediately, "Hannah, can you run to my cabin and ask Beth to come over?"

She nodded and couldn't help peeking over his shoulder. Lori was sitting up on the couch, Rick on one side and Carl on the other. Rick had his arm around her shoulders and she was leaning against him with her eyes closed. Carl held one hand and she gripped Rick's with the other. Hannah could feel a lump in her throat and her stomach twisted with guilt as the memory of what her and Rick did in the blind this morning rippled through her.

Rick glanced up at her, his face grave and she gave a small nod before turning and jogging to Hershel's cabin.

Later that afternoon, Hannah watched as Michael entered the main lodge and headed to the fire to warm up. He had been on watch with Julie for most of the day and he looked cold and tired. She paused, unsure if she should approach him but gathered her courage and walked towards him.

"Hello Michael."

"Hey Hannah." He smiled warmly at her as he sat down on the loveseat and stretched his feet towards the fire.

"How was the watch last night?" he asked, "We had quite the storm; you and Hershel make out okay?"

She shrugged, "Actually it was Rick and I and it was okay. Freezing cold and we weren't able to keep much of a watch for most of the night but it's not like there were many Walkers roaming around."

He laughed, "I keep hoping it'll get cold enough to freeze 'em solid. Then we could just walk along and knock their frozen heads from their shoulders."

She smiled, "We should be so lucky."

She sat down beside him, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He nodded, folding his hands behind his head.

She cleared her throat nervously, "Don't be angry but Amelia told me you were leaving."

He stiffened and glanced around but no one was paying attention to them. "I asked her not to say anything."

"I know. It kind of slipped out. She was upset and we were talking. She hasn't told anyone else and I'm not going to either." She reassured him. "In fact, I want to go with you."

He stared at her, "Why?"

"I have my reasons."

"I don't think it's a good idea Hannah." He folded his arms across his chest and sighed deeply.

"It is." She insisted, "You need someone to watch your back and I need to get out of here. I won't be any trouble and I can handle myself with Walkers."

When he didn't reply, she hurried on, "If it doesn't work out, if you think I'm slowing you down, I'll understand and we can part ways. I'm not asking you to babysit me. Just give me a chance okay?"

He stared at her for so long she was sure he was going to deny her request but he shrugged and said simply, "Okay."

She sighed with relief, "Okay?"

He nodded. "Yup. You're right – it'll be better to have someone else to watch my back."

"I'll start packing. When we do leave?"

He laughed, "Whoa, hold on. I still have to talk to Rick about taking one of the vehicles and we need to gather some food and supplies."

She frowned, "Michael, I need to ask you not to tell Rick I'm going with you."

"Why?"

"It's um, kind of personal. Just promise you won't mention it to him or anyone else."

He nodded, "Okay. I'll probably talk to Rick in the next couple of days and I'll let you know when we're leaving."

"Thanks Michael; I appreciate this."

* * *

><p>There was a soft knock on the door and Amelia opened it to find Carol standing on the porch. She held out a bowl of steaming liquid to her, "I brought soup."<p>

Amelia smiled and held the door open for her, "Thanks Carol."

Carol entered the cabin and smiled at Hannah who was sitting at the table, "Hi Hannah." She turned back to Amelia, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had company. I'll go."

Amelia shook her head, "No, stay please. We're just having girl talk." She took the bowl of soup from her and set it on the table.

Carol took of her coat, draping it carefully on the couch before joining Hannah and Amelia at the table.

"How's Ethan?" Amelia smiled at her.

Carol blushed, "He's good."

"I've known Ethan for nearly four months and I've never seen him this happy." Hannah grinned at her. "You're good for him and Jacob."

Carol smiled, "They're good for me."

Hannah cleared her throat, "How is Lori today?"

"She's better. You know she's pregnant right?"

Hannah nodded neutrally.

"She had some bleeding and pain the other night; she was worried that she was losing the baby but Hershel can hear a heartbeat, it's faint but steady, so he's put her on bed rest for a few days. Rick's been staying with them in case Lori needs anything in the night; he said Carl's been waiting on her hand and foot. He's anxious to be a big brother."

Hannah's stomach twisted and her hands clenched together tightly under the table as Carol reached for Amelia's hand. "How are you doing?"

Amelia shrugged, "I don't know. Fine. Miserable. Lonely."

"I'm sorry. Should I bring Ellie over? She's been missing you these last few days."

Amelia smiled, "I'd like that."

"You know, you don't have to hide away like this." Carol said delicately, "Daryl's not really been around. He and Merle spend a lot of time in the woods looking for game and when he's in camp he stays mostly in Merle's cabin."

"Yeah, I know. I haven't been completely hiding away." Amelia bit her lip, "I went to the main lodge with Hannah for a while the other day." She stopped, her breath hitching in her throat and Carol squeezed her hand. "When I came back he had been here and taken all of his stuff." Tears started to roll down her cheeks and Hannah handed her a tissue.

"You should talk to him Amelia." Carol said, "He's miserable; I can see it in his face."

"I've tried!" Amelia cried. "The morning after we fought I cornered him in the kitchen at the lodge; I told him that there was nothing going on with Michael and I; that I wasn't sleeping with him and that Merle was lying to him. I told him I loved him and I would never hurt him. I practically begged him to speak to Hannah and she would confirm that I spend most of my time with her."

She stopped to blow her nose, "He didn't say anything. He just looked at me, _through_ me, like I didn't even exist." She whispered. "He tried to leave and I grabbed his arm and he just –" she paused, swallowing painfully, "he just pulled his arm away like I had burned him and told me to stay the fuck away from him."

"Oh honey, I'm sorry. You know how Daryl is – he pushes people away when he's hurting and upset. He gets angry and says hurtful things but it's just because he doesn't know what else to do."

"I know." Amelia sniffed, "But if I can't even get him to talk to me how am I supposed to fix this?"

"Would it be okay if I spoke with him?" Carol asked. "I can't promise anything but I might be able to get him to at least talk with you."

"I'd appreciate it if you did Carol." Amelia whispered.

"I'll talk to him later today or tomorrow." Carol promised, "Now, eat your soup before it gets cold."


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

"Hannah, wait up!"

Hannah turned to see Amelia running after her.

"I want to go with you. I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself. I need fresh air." She stopped beside her and pulled her gloves on. "You and Isaac are going to the lake right?"

Hannah nodded, "Yes, but Amelia –"

"Hey ladies!" Isaac called out and they turned to see him and Michael walking towards them. Michael hesitated briefly then trailed after Isaac.

"Hello Amelia. Going to come with us?" Isaac said cheerfully.

"I thought I might." Amelia said, "If it's okay with you guys."

Isaac shrugged, "More hands to carry buckets." He handed her one of his buckets and started down the trail to the lake.

As the three of them followed him, Michael said in a low voice, "Are you sure Amelia? I'll understand if you stay."

"It doesn't matter now Michael."

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

She shook her head, "Don't worry about it."

He checked that the radio on his belt was turned on and walked a little faster; the bucket he carried in his other hand clanged lightly against one big thigh. "Isaac, remember to keep your eyes open." He said loudly.

"Yeah, yeah." Isaac nodded and kept going.

"Stupid kid - treats this like it's a goddamn nature walk."

He rolled his eyes and Hannah smiled at him. "He's been in a good mood lately; not sure why."

Amelia pulled her knife from the holder on her belt and gripped it loosely in her hand. It was her first time returning to the lake since she had went with Andy. A shudder went through her at the memory of Andy's dying face and Hannah stared at her curiously.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "Yes, just a bit tired." It wasn't a lie. She hadn't slept for shit since Daryl had moved in with Merle. In the old days she would have hid the dark circles under her eyes with carefully applied makeup, but she realized with a small pang of sadness that she couldn't even remember the last time she had worn makeup.

"Is this the first time you've been back?" Michael murmured; his eyes scanned the trees around them.

"Yeah." She muttered.

Hannah squeezed Amelia's arm. She knew of course, about the incident at the lake. Knew that a young man had died and Amelia had come close to dying herself, but she hadn't realized that this would be the first time Amelia had been back to the lake.

The trail they were following was narrowing, the trees and bushes crowding against them and without speaking they dropped back until they were walking single file. Michael led the way, his axe held in one hand, doing his best to dodge the branches that were scratching at his face, followed by Hannah and Amelia brought up the rear.

Isaac was about 20 feet ahead of them and as he disappeared around a bend in the trail, Michael called to him softly, "Isaac wait for us."

"Hurry up." He called back.

Michael glanced back at Amelia and Hannah, rolling his eyes, "God that guy drives me crazy; he needs – " he stopped, his eyes widening with horror. "AMELIA! Beside you!" he roared.

Amelia turned to see a Walker shambling out of the thick bushes beside her. It reached for her and she reacted with pure instinct, dropping the bucket and raising her knife. She shoved it deep into its eye, wincing at the wet popping sound it made. The Walker's flesh was black with frostbite and it dropped to the ground; the bushes tore the flesh from its arms, leaving flaps and shreds of rotting skin hanging on the grey branches.

She yanked her knife free and stumbled back into Hannah as the sounds of loud moans filled the air and three more Walkers wormed free of the bushes around them.

"GO! NOW!" Michael screamed, pushing both her and Hannah ahead of him. He swung his axe at the Walker closest to him; it hit the Walker in the chest with a dull thud, knocking it to the ground. He raised the axe and drove it into the head of the Walker, splitting the skull in two.

A fourth walker appeared in front of Hannah. She screamed and raised the large knife she was clutching in her hand. She lunged forward, aiming for its face but stumbled and the knife lodged in its sternum. She could feel its hands in her hair, yanking her upwards but before it could bite her Amelia was there, stabbing it repeatedly in the face.

The Walker fell, dragging Hannah to the ground with it and with a loud grunt of effort, Amelia yanked her away from the fallen Walker.

Michael swung his axe, knocking the legs out from one Walker and sending it tumbling to the ground as the other Walker charged him. He bashed its head in with the butt of the axe and then screamed as the Walker at his feet bit into his leg. It tore through the thin fabric of his pants and he screamed again as blood spurted from his leg.

"MICHAEL!" Amelia shrieked and started towards him as another Walker stumbled free from the bushes and latched on to Michael's arm. He slashed his way through the fabric of Michael's jacket, ripping away the cloth with a crazed mania and sinking his teeth into Michael's wrist.

"NO! RUN!" Michael screamed.

Hannah grabbed her arm, "Amelia, we have to go! It's too late; we need to leave right now!" She could hear scraping in the bushes next to her and knew that more Walkers were pushing and shoving their way through the thick underbrush to get to them.

"No! Michael!" Amelia moaned.

"We need to go now!" Hannah cried. She grabbed Amelia's hand and yanked her down the trail as Michael fell to his knees behind them.

* * *

><p>"Daryl, can I talk to you for a minute?" Carol hurried across the clearing to intercept Daryl as he walked from the lodge to his and Merle's cabin.<p>

"Hey Carol." Daryl said, stopping on the steps of the porch.

"Hi. How are you?"

He shrugged. "Been better."

"I wanted to talk to you about Amelia." Carol said softly.

A sullen look came over his face, "Nothin' to talk about." He grunted and started up the steps.

"Daryl, please." She grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. "You're both miserable; you're both hurting. You need to talk to her; let her explain."

He shook his head, "I don't need to hear anythin'. She's made it plain and clear who she wants to be with."

Carol shook her head as Rick emerged from Lori's cabin and started towards them. "No, you have it all wrong. If you would just talk to her, she's going – "

A scream rang out from the woods behind them. Rick stopped, staring anxiously into the woods, pulling his gun from the holster on his belt.

"Did you hear that?" Carol frowned. "I think that was screaming –"

There was another louder scream, this one shrill and full of pain, and Daryl pushed past her and raced towards the woods.

"Carol! Get the others!" Rick yelled at her and Carol bolted for the lodge as Daryl and Rick disappeared into the trees.


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Hannah dragged Amelia through the woods. They were still headed for the lake and she realized it was a mistake. They'd be trapped if the Walkers followed them. She was about to turn Amelia around, point her back towards the cabins when Isaac screamed from somewhere in front of them. Amelia skidded to a halt.

"Hannah, go and help Isaac. I'm going back for Michael." She yanked her arm free.

"Amelia he's gone! It's too late; you can't help him now!"

"I won't leave him to be eaten by those things!" Amelia said furiously. "Go and find Isaac!" she pushed her roughly down the trail and then plunged off the trail and disappeared into the woods.

"Goddamn it Amelia!" Hannah cried. She hesitated and then ran down the trail and almost fell over Isaac and the Walker who was on top of him. Isaac was panting and crying, kicking and punching at the Walker as it dragged its way up his body. With a small cry, Hannah drove her knife into the back of the Walker's skull. It slumped forward and she heaved it off of Isaac. He scrambled to his feet, tears and snot dripping down his face.

"Are you okay? Isaac? Are you bit?" Hannah shouted at him.

He stared at her, his eyes wide and dark with fear. His terrified eyes shifted behind her and he ran into the woods as she turned to look behind her. A dead woman, her eyes empty yet somehow horribly aware was staggering towards her. Hannah kicked her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground and then stomped viciously on her face. The bones in the Walker's face shattered under her boot and she cried out in fear and disgust.

She could hear more moaning coming from the trail behind her and turned and fled into the trees.

Amelia ran through the woods. She leaped over a fallen log and fell to her knees, dead pinecones and pine needles digging into the palms of her hands. She stumbled to her feet and kept moving. She slowed as she grew closer, trying to stay as quiet as possible. She crouched down and moved forward; she could just make out the shapes of the two Walkers on top of Michael and she could hear them moaning as they bit and chewed at his body. A large rock was on the ground in front of her and she picked it up, testing its weight. She squeezed quietly through the bushes until she was standing behind the two Walkers. She raised the rock high above her head. Fixated on their meal they didn't notice her as she brought the rock down on the Walker's head that was closest to her. It smashed through the soft, rotting skull and brains and blood exploded from its head. Before the other Walker could turn on her, she swung the rock into its temple. It fell and she hit it twice more on the top of the head.

She pushed its body off Michael and started to cry as she knelt beside him. The Walkers had bitten and torn their way through his clothes until they could feast on the meat of his stomach. She could see his intestines through the large hole they had chewed into his belly.

"Oh Michael." She wept softly; his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey white girl." He whispered faintly.

"I'm so sorry Michael." She sobbed, "I'm so sorry for everything." She took his hand, kissing the knuckles as he coughed up blood.

He smiled, his teeth coated with blood, "Love you Lia. Always."

"I love you too Michael." She kissed his cold forehead and held his hand tightly.

He smiled again, took another faltering breath and died. She closed her eyes, breathing heavily through her nose before staggering to her feet and picking up Michael's axe. She raised it above her head, whispering "Goodbye Michael."

Before she could drive the axe into his head, there was a loud growling behind her and she turned to see a Walker plunging towards her. She reeled backwards and tripped over Michael's body, the axe falling from her hands and her breath knocked out of her as she landed hard on her back. Gasping for air, she lifted her legs and bent her knees as the Walker pounced on her, using her legs as leverage to keep the Walker from her throat. It reached for her and she wrapped her hands around its cold forearms, shoving them up and away from her face. She looked to her side for the axe and a pale, familiar face in the bushes beside her swam into view.

"Help me!" she shouted but the face retreated silently back into the bushes.

"Goddamn you!" she screamed and looked frantically for the axe as the Walker slobbered and groaned above her. With a loud grunt of rage and fear she heaved her legs up and out. Luckily the Walker was thin and small and she was able to flip it off her body and on to Michael's dead body. She scrambled backwards on her butt as it crawled relentlessly towards her. She couldn't take her eyes off of its rotting, blackened face and she reached blindly around for the handle of the axe. Her hands fell on to a large thick branch and she climbed to her feet and swung it at the head of the Walker as it lunged for her legs. She bashed it in the head repeatedly until the skull was completely crushed and it was lying still on the forest floor.

Sobbing, she peered around until she found Michael's axe. She picked it up as Michael began to stir. Before she could kill him two more Walkers shambled into view. She turned and ran for her life.

Daryl sprinted down the trail, Rick running silently beside him. "Who's doing the lake run?" he panted.

"Isaac, Michael and Hannah." Rick said grimly. A Walker stumbled out from behind a tree in front of them and they stopped. Daryl shot it quickly with his crossbow and then pulled the arrow free. They kept moving, trying to stay quiet.

"Who the fuck is on watch?" Rick whispered.

"Frank and Merle." Daryl grunted.

They crept up on another Walker who was standing motionless beside a large dead tree. Rick reversed his gun and smashed the butt of it into its head. There was noise behind them and they both turned but it was only Ethan and T-Dog.

"Where are they?" T-Dog whispered.

"I don't know." Rick said.

The trail narrowed, they walked down it in single-file, Rick leading the way.

"Oh my God." he muttered when they came upon the massacre of Walkers. He counted seven dead bodies and there were blood and brains and bits of skull splattered everywhere. "There's still a chance they're alive. Keep moving." He growled.

Amelia ran through the woods; Michael's dying words echoed through her head as she clutched his axe in her hand and forced herself to move faster. She could hear what sounded like an army of Walkers behind her and she knew that Michael would be a part of them. The thought of Michael as a Walker made her throat constrict painfully and fresh tears fall down her cheeks. She wiped them away angrily as she sprinted forward.

"Oh fuck me!" she sobbed. She had been running blindly, consumed by the horror of Michael's death, and she had run straight to the lake, trapping herself. From behind her, the crashing, splintering sounds of bodies shuffling through the trees filled her ears. She skidded to a halt, looking around frantically for a hiding spot. She thought about darting back into the woods, to try and double back but she had no idea how many Walkers were in the woods behind her.

The sounds were growing closer; she knew that she had less than a minute before they broke through the trees and onto the shore. About five feet into the lake, half-submerged in the murky water, was a large boulder. She ran towards it, gasping as she waded through the icy cold water. It was a deep lake and by the time she reached the boulder, grabbing it with numb hands and sliding her body around it, the water was to the middle of her chest. The water was so cold it took her breath away. She could feel her body shivering violently, trying to bring warmth back to her limbs. As she slipped behind the boulder, she clamped her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound of her teeth chattering. She peered cautiously around the rock as a group of Walkers stumbled out from the trees. There were at least 10 of them, all in various states of decay, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see Michael among them.

They wandered along the shoreline looking at nothing in particular and as her body grew increasingly colder she prayed that they would disappear back into the trees. There were shots from deep within the woods and, as one, the group of Walkers turned and peered into the woods as Hannah stumbled out from the trees to the left of them.

Amelia watched with horror as Hannah staggered towards the lake instead of back into the woods. She was bleeding profusely from a large wound on her forehead; rivulets of blood were running down her face. She didn't even seem to notice the Walkers to her right and the Walkers, their attention fixed on the woods, hadn't noticed her either. Amelia knew it was only a matter of minutes before Hannah's luck changed and she left the safety of the boulder, still holding Michael's axe in one numb hand as she waded silently through the water towards Hannah.

"Please God, please." She repeated to herself as Hannah weaved closer to the edge of the water. She wiped the blood from her face, looking at it dully, and knelt by the water as Amelia closed in on her. Hannah looked up, eyes widening with fear as Amelia clamped her hand down on her mouth.

Amelia shook her head, pointed in the direction of the Walkers clustered in front of the trees, and pulled her into the water with her. They waded back to the boulder, Amelia casting terrified glances over her shoulder as she half-carried, half-dragged Hannah through the icy water.

They had just disappeared behind the boulder when two of the Walkers lost interest in the woods and turned back to the shore. Amelia clung to Hannah; the water was nearly to the smaller woman's neck and she was only semi-conscious. Her lips were turning blue and she was shaking so hard the water rippled around them.

There were more shots from within the woods and Amelia could have cried with relief when the group of Walkers turned and entered the trees.

"Hannah!" she whispered. When the woman didn't reply, she slapped her hard across the face. "Honey, wake up!"

Hannah stared at her, "Amelia, what's happened? Why am I so cold?" she looked blankly down at herself. "Why are we in the water?"

"There were Walkers on the shore. They're back in the woods now; c'mon we have to get out of the water before we freeze to death."

She took Hannah's hand and began to lead her around the boulder. She gasped and yanked the tiny woman back against the rock, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Michael was standing at the shore and for one heart-stopping moment she was sure he had seen them. She put her finger to her lips and risked a glance around the boulder. Michael was staring at the lake, his once warm brown eyes filled with a terrible emptiness. She could see a loop of intestine hanging out of his stomach and she gagged softly, putting her hand to her mouth as tears dripped down her face.

She looked down. Hannah was already slipping back into unconsciousness and she shook her roughly. "Hannah – stay awake!" she hissed.

Hannah nodded and then shook her head grimly, wincing as blood flew from her forehead and covered both her and Amelia's faces. A look of nausea came over her face at the sight of the blood.

Amelia risked another look at the shore and this time her heart did stop. Daryl was striding out from the trees and heading directly towards Michael.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Daryl moved silently through the trees. A group of about ten Walkers, alerted by the shots from Rick and T-Dog's guns were threading their way through the woods. He took down three with his crossbow, nodding to Ethan who was flattened behind a large tree. He nodded back, gripped his bat more tightly and smashed in the face of a Walker as it limped past the tree.

Daryl raised his crossbow and took out a fourth Walker who was teetering towards Rick. Just ahead of him he could see the lake and what looked like Michael. He whistled softly to Rick and pointed in the direction of the lake. Rick nodded as he approached another Walker and beat its head in with a rock he had picked up on the ground.

As the others began to dispense of the remaining Walkers, Daryl jogged through the trees and on to the shore. Michael was standing motionless at the edge of the lake and he walked towards him.

"Michael! Hey Michael! Where are Isaac and Hannah?" Michael turned and Daryl let out a startled yell at the sight of his bloody and bitten face and body. Snarling, Michael lunged for him, the loop of intestine hanging from his stomach slapping against his pelvis.

Daryl stumbled back, raising his crossbow but Michael was too quick. He leaped on to the smaller man, sending him tumbling to the ground. The crossbow was between them and Daryl squeezed the trigger but it was butted up against Michael's body and the arrow tore uselessly through the muscle and flesh of his large chest.

Michael tipped forward, his mouth opening wide, but before he could bite there was a loud thud that sent tremors through Michael's large body. He tipped sideways to the ground, an axe embedded deep into his skull. Daryl looked up to see Amelia standing over him. She was soaking wet, shivering violently and her face was a mask of terror and disgust. She staggered a few feet away, dropped to her knees and vomited.

"Amelia!" Daryl leaped to his feet and ran to her, "Honey, what are you doing out here?" He knelt beside her, putting his hand on her wet back as she threw up again before wiping her mouth with one shaking hand.

"Hannah." She whispered through chattering teeth. "Rock in the lake."

Daryl shook his head, "What honey? I don't understand."

Before she could repeat herself, a Walker appeared in front of them. Amelia screamed hoarsely but before either of them could defend themselves, an arrow embedded itself into its head and it fell to the ground.

A woman and two men emerged from the trees. They all had large backpacks strapped to their backs and the woman was carrying a bow and arrow. As they approached Daryl and Amelia, she quickly strung another arrow into the bow.

Rick and the others came out of the woods and he and T-Dog raised their weapons.

"Hey, slow down! We're human and friendly." One of the men said, holding his hands out.

"They saved our lives." Daryl grunted as he helped Amelia to her feet.

Rick ran over, "Have you seen Hannah?" he asked her frantically.

She pointed towards the lake. "Behind the rock – cold, hurt." She could barely talk she was shivering so violently.

Rick splashed into the lake, hardly feeling the coldness of the water as Daryl stripped off Amelia's jacket and covered her with his own. Rick rounded the rock, dread growing in his chest, to find Hannah clinging weakly to the rock. Her face was covered in blood and her lips were completely blue.

"Hannah!" he reached for her, his hands shaking, and pulled her into his arms.

"Hi Rick." She leaned her head against his chest. Blood was flowing sluggishly from a large, deep cut at her hairline.

"Have you been bit?" he asked, looking her over frantically.

"No. Fell down – hit my head." She looked up at him as he picked her up and waded back towards the shore. "Cold." She whispered.

"I know baby. We'll get you warmed up soon, I promise. Just stay awake okay?"

Ethan took his coat off as Rick reached the shore and eased Hannah to her feet. Her trembling legs couldn't support her and Ethan held her up as Rick took her wet coat off and wrapped her in Ethan's coat.

"Where's Isaac?" Amelia whispered.

"I don't know." Daryl replied.

He frowned when she looked past him at Michael's body, her face blanching. "Don't do that honey." He pulled her to him and she went willingly enough, burrowing her cold face into his neck and breathing deeply.

One of the men approached Rick and Hannah. He tried to touch Hannah's head and Rick pulled her away from him.

"I'm a medic." He had a British accent and spoke quietly. "Let me look at her head."

He smiled at Hannah, "My name is Paul." He examined her head carefully before staring ruefully at her, "I'm afraid you'll need stitches my love."

Hannah smiled faintly, "Story of my life."

"C'mon," Rick lifted her into her arms, "Let's get everyone back to the camp before more Walkers show up."

"Isaac?" Hannah whispered.

"He's either dead or he survived and is back at the camp." Rick replied.

"He might be lost in the woods." Hannah argued weakly.

"He might be." Rick agreed, "But it's getting close to dark and we're not losing any more people looking for him."

He lifted Hannah and carried her towards the trees. "Let's go. We stay quiet and keep our eyes open." He stared at the three strangers, "You'd better come with us; I have no idea how many more Walkers are roaming around the woods."

"What about Michael?" Amelia protested. She had pulled away from Daryl and was standing by Michael's body.

"We leave him." Rick replied.

"No!" she shouted, "We're not leaving him here!"

"Amelia quiet!" Rick glared at her, "We'll come back for him either tomorrow or the next day. I promise you. We need to get both you and Hannah back to the cabins before you freeze to death."

"Fuck you Rick!" she hissed, "I'm not leaving without him."

Rick glanced at Daryl who shouldered his crossbow, locked his arms around Amelia's thighs and heaved her over his other shoulder. She struggled against him, pounding on his back with her fists "You'll let go of me right now if you know what's good for you Daryl Dixon!" she threatened.

He ignored her flailing arms, squeezed her squirming body more tightly against him and followed Rick into the trees. He was much stronger than her and she gave up on her struggling. She started to cry quietly, staring over his shoulder at Michael's body, a small moan escaping her lips when T-Dog wrenched the axe free from his head.


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Halfway to the camp, Amelia tapped on Daryl's shoulder, "You can put me down. I can walk."

He gently dropped her to her feet, hesitated and then kissed her cold mouth. She started to cry and he took her hand, folding it into his. "Please don't cry honey."

It felt like hours to Amelia before they reached the familiar circle of cabins. The others were waiting for them, pacing anxiously back and forth.

Ethan went straight to Carol, hugging her against him as Jacob and Ellie wound themselves around his legs.

"Amelia, are you okay?" Melissa hurried up to her.

She nodded mutely.

"Did Isaac turn up?" Daryl asked.

Melissa nodded, "Yes. He's in his cabin. He's fine, just twisted his ankle a little he said."

"Hershel needs to look at Hannah; she's bleeding pretty badly from her head." Amelia shook violently.

"We'll look after her." Melissa said soothingly as T-Dog joined them. He slipped his arm around her waist and she smiled briefly at him.

"We need to get you warmed up. Come to the main lodge." She reached for Amelia but Daryl shook his head.

"It'll be dark soon. I'm gonna take her back to the cabin, get her in the bath and tuck her into bed." He said. "She needs to rest."

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight Amelia?" Melissa asked.

"I'm stayin' with her." Daryl responded firmly. He led Amelia to their cabin, helping her up the steps and shutting the door behind them.

Melissa rested her head against T-Dog, looking apprehensively at the axe in his hand. "Where's Michael?"

"Mel," T-Dog hesitated, "I'm sorry, he was bitten and turned. I think – I think Amelia had to kill him."

Tears started to flow down Melissa's cheeks and T-Dog lifted her small body against his and hugged her. "I'm so sorry."

She nodded, kissed him and wiped the tears from her face. "I should help Hershel with Hannah."

Rick, still carrying Hannah, entered her cabin. Melissa caught up to Hershel, and they and the man named Paul, followed behind him.

T-Dog wandered over to Glen and Maggie who were shaking hands with the two new people. Glen nodded to him, "This is T-Dog."

"I'm Aaron and this is Tonya." The man was tall with receding hair and a soft voice. Tonya was short with the lean, lithe body of an athlete. He shook both their hands, noting the bow over Tonya's shoulder and the tire iron hooked in a homemade holder on Aaron's belt.

"Nice to meet ya." The five of them stood there for an awkward moment before Rick came out of Hannah's cabin and stopped in front of them.

"Are you two hungry?" he didn't bother to wait for an answer, "Glen and Maggie, would you mind taking them to the lodge and getting them something to eat?"

As the others began to trickle towards the lodge, Rick turned and headed towards the blind. T-Dog jogged after him, "Where ya going man?"

"To find out why the fuck Merle and Frank didn't raise the alarm. They should have seen the herd of Walkers coming through and warned Michael and the others." He said through gritted teeth.

T-Dog followed him to the blind. Rick climbed the ladder quickly; T-Dog hauled his bulky frame over the top of the blind in time to see Rick kicking Frank in the legs. The stocky man was passed out on the floor of the blind, snoring loudly, an empty bottle of scotch near one outstretched hand.

"Wake up Frank!" Rick kicked him again, his boot leaving a wet mark on Frank's jeans, and Frank moaned lightly.

"Rick, hold up man." T-Dog put his hand on Rick's arm. Rick turned towards him, his face was white and he'd never seen him look so angry.

"This asshole is the reason that Michael is dead." He said heatedly. He wrenched his arm free and angrily kicked Frank in the ass.

"You'd better wake up Frank or I swear to God I'll throw you off this blind." He slapped Frank across the face. The older man groaned and sat up, rubbing his face blearily.

"Rick – wha?" he looked around in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Michael is dead! That's what's wrong you useless piece of shit!" Rick grabbed the front of his vest and shook him. "Hannah and Amelia and Isaac almost died as well because you drank yourself into a stupor! Do you understand?"

Frank stared at him wide-eyed and lips trembling as T-Dog pulled Rick away from him. "Where the fuck is Merle?" Rick glared at him.

"I – I don't know." Frank whispered. He stood up, weaving back and forth. "He was here with me; I was complaining about the cold and he said he had something that would help. He had some scotch." He stared pleadingly at Rick, "I'm sorry. It's been forever since I had a drink – I guess I went overboard."

Rick shook his head in disgust, "Who's on watch tonight?"

"Glen and Maggie." T-Dog answered quietly.

"Can you stay here until they come up?"

"Yeah. What about Frank?" T-Dog asked.

"I'm fine." Frank muttered, "I can stay here."

"Do not leave him here alone; do you understand me T-Dog? Frank - when Glen and Maggie get here for their watch shift, you go back to your cabin and you sleep this off. I don't want to see your goddamn face anywhere near the lodge for a few days. Get it?"

Frank nodded, rubbing a shaking hand over his face as Rick climbed down the ladder.

T-Dog leaned over railing, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find that son of a bitch Merle." Rick replied bitterly.

* * *

><p>Amelia lay naked in the bed, shivering violently under the quilt. Even the hot bath Daryl had made her get into hadn't helped to warm her. She stared at the wall thinking about Michael and the sound the axe had made when she buried it in his skull. She shuddered as tears slipped down her face. Daryl was in the kitchen, dumping the bowl of soup she had refused to eat into the garbage. He blew out all of the candles but one and carried it over to the bedside table.<p>

He hesitated and then laid on top of the covers on the bed behind her, placing one hand on her hip but keeping space between them. He could feel her shaking and he tucked the covers more securely around her.

"I'm sorry Amelia."

She didn't respond and he stared helplessly at the back of her head. "If you need me, I'll be right over there on the couch." He whispered. He sat up but before he could leave the bed she was rolling over and grabbing his hand.

"I know you hate me now, but just for tonight could you pretend you don't?" She begged softly, her face streaked with tears.

He stood up, stripped his clothes off quickly and crawled under the covers. He gathered her close, molding her body to his and placing a soft kiss on her forehead, "I don't hate ya honey."

She buried her face in his throat; he could feel her tears soaking his neck and he rubbed her back as she shivered against him.

"I miss you." She said quietly.

"I miss you too." He admitted.

She kissed his cheek and then placed a tentative one on his mouth. He returned the kiss, cupping her face gently. She kissed him again, more firmly this time, and he pulled back a little, staring gravely at her.

"You should rest Amelia." He kissed her forehead.

His throat ached at the look of hurt on her face. "You're upset and tired and I don't want to take advantage of that." He tried to explain.

She nodded and wiped the tears from her face before tucking her head against his shoulder. She placed her hand on his chest and traced gentle circles through the hair on his chest. He ran his thumb over the scar on her shoulder, remembering her last trip to the lake.

"No more lake trips for you." He said firmly. She was still shivering violently and he pulled her even closer, trying to warm her with his body heat.

She sighed, "I'm so cold." The movement of her mouth on his throat sent pleasure straight to his groin and against his will, he could feel himself hardening. He tried to ignore the feel of her naked skin against his but after a few days of being away from her, it was impossible.

She felt his erection against her hip and her hands tightened on his chest. She looked up at him, her eyes so dark in the candlelight they were nearly black. "Make me warm Daryl." She whispered. "Please."

He groaned and covered her mouth with his, sliding his tongue between her lips and closing his eyes in pleasure at her familiar taste.

He cupped her breast; the nipple hardened under his palm and he tugged on it, making her gasp into his mouth. She ran her hands over his arms, kneading the hard muscles, and then lightly across his back, tracing the marred skin with gentle fingers.

He leaned down and cupped her breasts, pushing them together and running his tongue from one nipple to the other. She held on to his shoulders and arched her back. He traced one nipple with his tongue and then blew gently on it making her shudder and cry out a little. He ran his hand down her body, marveling again at the smoothness of her skin and gripped her ass, pulling her closer and wedging his thigh between hers. He sucked and laved at her nipples, each pull of his mouth sending a spasm of pleasure straight to the area between her thighs.

Her hands clenched and unclenched around his arms and she thrust her pelvis mindlessly against his hard thigh. He could feel her warm wetness on his leg and he leaned away, reaching behind him to grope in the drawer of the bedside table for a condom.

He ripped the package open and smoothed it on as she ran her hands over his chest and down his stomach. He jerked when she ran her finger down the thin trail of hair under his navel.

She started to roll onto her back but he grabbed her hip and kept her turned on her side. "Open your eyes Amelia." He whispered and her eyes fluttered open. The desire and love in her eyes took his breath away and he lifted her leg, draping it over his hip and shifting his pelvis until he could enter her. They both gasped as he sank deeply into her. He held her thigh tightly, raising it higher on his hip so he could slide every inch of his length into her. She laced her fingers together behind his back and tilted her hips towards him.

He responded by rocking his hips against her and she moaned and matched his gentle movements with her own hips. His body fit perfectly against hers and the position was causing the most delicious type of friction. She let her head fall back, closing her eyes and moaning when he placed light, fluttering kisses on her exposed throat.

He continued the slow, deep thrusts until she was panting and digging her nails into his back. "Look at me honey." He urged. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. He returned her smile, his fingers digging into her thigh, and slowly increased the speed of his hips. He watched her face as she grew closer to coming, loving the small gasps and moans she made, until with a loud cry she arched her back and shook madly against him. Her core tightened around him and pulled his own orgasm from him.

He let go of her thigh, accepting her habit of putting a little space between them after lovemaking so she could fall asleep, but she pressed against him. She wrapped herself around his body and he smiled a little as she kissed his neck and clung to him tightly.

"Are ya warm now?' he asked.

"Yes. Thank you." She whispered. She paused, "I love you Daryl."

"I love you too Amelia."


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Rick entered Hannah's cabin without knocking. Hannah was lying on the bed, covered with a thick quilt, Melissa had a flashlight shining onto her head and Paul was leaning over her stitching the wound in her forehead. Hershel was in the kitchen washing his hands and Rick frowned at him.

"Does he know what he's doing?" he said in a low voice. "Maybe you should be doing this."

Hershel smiled a little, "I'm just a vet Rick and an old man. Paul's doing a better job than I ever could."

"Don't sell yourself short Hershel." Rick briefly clapped him on the back.

"What happened out there?" Hershel asked. "Melissa said Michael was dead."

Rick nodded, "Frank got drunk and passed out while on watch. Merle was on watch with him but he's nowhere to be found. He's either not in his cabin, or he's in there and won't open the door." He ran a hand through his hair and lowered his voice, "They were attacked by a herd of at least 15 Walkers. Honestly - I have no idea how the others even survived. Amelia and Hannah were hiding in the lake behind that large rock that juts out just past the shoreline."

"I suspect that Hannah's suffering from some hypothermia. Maybe I should check on Amelia as well." Hershel said thoughtfully.

"Daryl took her to their cabin; said he was going to put her in the bath and then to bed. If she doesn't warm up I'm sure he'll come find you." Rick replied.

"Speaking of which..." Hershel went back into the kitchen and peered into the buckets on the cook stove. The water was close to bubbling and he left them for a bit longer and went to the bed, Rick following closely.

"Love, I'm sorry but could you try and hold still? I know you're cold and I know it hurts but just a few more stitches and it's done. Then we'll get you in that tub and warmed up." Paul smiled apologetically at Hannah.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"No need to be sorry little duck." he said cheerfully.

She noticed Rick standing beside the bed, "Is Amelia okay?"

He nodded. "Yes, she's with Daryl."

He could see her shivering under the covers; her wet clothes were piled in a sodden heap on the floor and despite being in the cabin for nearly 20 minutes her lips were still blue.

Paul carefully eased the needle through her skin, "You're a brave little bit then aren't you? Attacked by Walkers, standing in a lake in the middle of winter and now stitches without freezing. I'm impressed love."

Melissa grinned. "She's our resident stitches expert, aren't you Hannah? What is this – the third time we've stitched you up in the last few weeks?" She squeezed her shoulder gently, "Besides, a few stitches to the forehead is nothing when you've been attacked by a bear."

"A bear attack? Did that give you the scar on your waist or the scars on the leg?" Paul stopped stitching and stared at Hannah for a moment.

"Scars on the leg." She whispered.

He winked at her "I should have realized you were tough after seeing that tattoo of yours. Girls with tattoos are always good with pain. It's spectacular by the way. Inspired by "Girl With a Dragon Tattoo" I assume?"

She smiled a little, "That's right."

"You have excellent taste duckie. It's one of my favourite books."

Rick stepped past Hershel and sat on the bed beside Hannah. "Are you almost finished? We should get her into the tub."

There was an unfamiliar emotion running through him and it took him a minute to recognize it for what it was. He was jealous of Paul. His knowledge of both her scars and tattoo meant he had seen her at least partially naked and that was making Rick's inside burn in a way that Hershel seeing her naked did not.

He placed a possessive hand on Hannah's stomach, he could feel her trembling even through the quilt and the sheet, and tried not to glare at Paul.

"Last stitch lovey." Paul replied.

"The water should be hot by now – I'll pour it into the tub for you okay?" Rick said to Hannah.

"Okay." She said softly. She closed her eyes as Paul tied off the last stitch and clipped it short.

"This'll sting a bit." He warned. "He poured some rubbing alcohol onto a gauze pad and dabbed it delicately at the cut. Hannah hissed but didn't say anything as he cleaned the blood off her forehead and cheeks.

Hershel leaned over Paul's shoulder, "Good work Paul. You'll hardly scar at all Hannah."

"Guys dig scars." Hannah said faintly and Paul laughed.

"They certainly do duckie. Now, what do you say we get you into that tub?"

Rick, just leaving the bathroom after pouring the third bucket of water into the tub, hurried over. "I can help you into the tub Hannah."

"No worries mate, I've got this." Paul said, "I'll help her to the loo if you'll grab that last bucket of water."

Rick hesitated and Paul winked at him, "You can trust me – I'm practically a doctor." Hannah snorted soft laughter and Paul stared delightedly at her. "That's the ticket love; laughter is the best medicine you know."

He pulled back the covers, Rick was relieved to see Hannah was wearing a long t-shirt, and took Hannah's hands. "On the count of three, I'm going to sit you up. Let me know if you feel dizzy or weak yeah?"

Rick hurried to the kitchen for the last bucket of water as Paul pulled Hannah into a sitting position and helped her swing her legs over the side of the bed.

"Think you can stand?" he asked as Melissa shut off the flashlight and started to put her jacket on.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight Hannah? I just need to talk to T-Dog but I can come back."

Hannah shook her head, wincing a little, "No Melissa, I'll be fine."

Melissa frowned, "Someone should stay with you. You could have a concussion."

Rick opened his mouth but before he could speak, Paul patted Hannah's hand, "I can stay with you little bit."

"Oh no – I can't ask you to do that." Hannah protested.

"I don't mind at all. Melissa is right – you most likely have a mild concussion. You should probably be woken up every few hours. Now, let's get you warmed up."

He helped her to the bathroom. Rick followed and poured the last bucket of water into the tub. Steam rose lazily from the water and Hannah moved towards the tub eagerly.

"Paul, it's kind of you to offer to stay with Hannah but I can stay. If there are any problems I'll get you or Hershel."

"No need mate. I don't mind and trust me, after sleeping on the hard, cold ground for the last few weeks I've learned to survive on very little sleep. One more night won't hurt me." Paul smiled engagingly at Rick. "But would you mind telling my mates where I am?"

"Uh, sure." Rick looked at Hannah, "How do you feel about this Hannah? I can stay with you."

She was leaning over, dipping her hands into the steaming water, "I'm fine with it Rick." She glanced up at him, "You should probably get back to Lori; I know you're worried about her."

She straightened up and staggered backwards. Rick moved towards her but Paul was already there, steadying her. "Feeling a bit weak?" he asked.

She nodded, steadying herself with a hand on Paul's shoulder. She was still shaking and her face was pale. She looked sad and worn down, and Rick had to restrain himself from pushing Paul out of the room and pulling Hannah into his arms.

"Not surprising. You've had a horrible fright, and you're suffering from mild hypothermia and blood loss. I'll help get you into the tub yeah?"

Paul stared at Rick, obviously wondering why he was still standing in the small room, and Rick tried one last time, "I can stay for a bit longer Hannah; why don't I help you into the tub and stay with you while Paul talks with his friends and gets something to eat." Medical professional or not, he didn't want Paul seeing Hannah naked.

"Thank you Rick but if Paul is okay with it, I'll just get him to help me. You should be with your family."

"It's settled then." Paul said cheerily, "Rick, good to meet you mate. We'll see you in the morning?"

Rick nodded. "Hannah, if you need anything just let me know okay?"

She nodded distractedly. Rick closed the bathroom door, a stab of jealousy going through him when he heard Paul say, "Alright little duck, let's get you into that tub."


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

As Hannah reached for the hem of her t-shirt, Paul said, "I can turn around if you're uncomfortable love."

Hannah smiled, "I have a feeling I'm not your type."

He gave her an admiring look, "Ahh – very astute of you Hannah. How did you know? Was it my debonair personality or my impeccable fashion sense?" He looked down at his stained t-shirt and dirty jeans.

She pulled her t-shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. "One of my closest friends in college was gay and not to generalize but you remind me very much of him."

He helped her into the tub, "Obviously he was handsome and witty yeah?"

She sunk into the water with a sigh, "Very." She dipped her head into the water, letting the hot water soak in to her hair.

"Shall I wash your hair for you?" Paul offered.

"You're very kind Paul." She said gratefully. She closed her eyes as he poured some shampoo on to her hair and began to scrub gently.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" she asked.

"I do. That tall fellow at the lake is my true love. Aaron is his name."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember him."

"Of course you don't pet; you were mostly unconscious." He rinsed her hair and then put the lid down of the toilet and sat on it, crossing his legs and staring thoughtfully at her as she took the soap and started to scrub her body clean.

"How about you? Anyone special in your life?"

She shook her head, "No."

"I thought maybe that bloke Rick was your man but then you mentioned a Lori and a family." Paul said delicately.

"Rick's kind of the official leader of the group. He feels responsible for all of us." Hannah said softly. She sank back into the water and closed her eyes.

"Some of you more than others perhaps?" Paul said.

"Hmm." She murmured noncommittally.

Paul took the hint and changed the subject, "How long has your group been here?"

Hannah shrugged, "I'm not sure. I joined them a few weeks ago; I think they've been here a couple of months."

She sat up with a sigh, finally feeling warm, "I think I'd like to get out now please."

Paul grabbed a towel. He wrapped it around her as she stood up and helped her out of the tub. He followed her out of the bathroom and started to rummage through his backpack in the living room as she pulled on a pair of panties and her long t-shirt.

"Mind if I use the loo?" he pulled out a change of clothes and a small black toiletries bag.

She smiled, "Of course you can."

He grinned, "You have no idea how excited I am to have an indoor toilet again." He walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Hannah climbed into the bed and curled up under the quilt. She liked Paul a lot; his calm and cheery demeanor was exactly what she needed to keep the memories of what had happened at bay but a part of her couldn't stop wishing that Rick was here with her. As wretched as her day had been, the hardest part had been urging Rick to return to Lori. She put a hand to her head, it was throbbing dully and the skin where Paul had stitched felt tight and puffy.

She thought of Michael, of his deep laugh and warm eyes and tears started to drip down her cheeks. It made her head hurt more but she couldn't stop crying. She knew she was probably having a delayed reaction to the horrifying events of the day but knowing it didn't stop the deep, wracking sobs from bubbling out of her.

She suddenly realized that the whole group had been shaken to the core and completely thrown off by what had happened. Paul was a complete stranger, friendly and charming, but a stranger nonetheless, and yet no one, including herself, had thought twice about letting him stay the night with her. Hell, he had already seen her naked and washed her hair for her. She half-hiccupped, half-laughed and wondered briefly if this was what it felt like to go insane.

She took a deep breath and tried to get control of herself. She suspected that part of it was after seeing so many of the dead walking through the land today that the sight of three living people had been enough to make all of them drop their guard. She thought about her terrified race through the woods, the trees blurring around her, her terror for Amelia and Isaac and herself blotting out her ability to think rationally. The sounds of the Walkers behind her had laid a deep blanket of dread over her entire body and when she had fallen and slammed her head against a rock, only the horrific thought of being eaten alive had made her crawl to her feet and keep running.

She started to cry in earnest and when Paul laid down on the bed beside her, put his arm around her waist and whispered, "It's okay little bit." she turned and buried herself against him, sobbing like her heart was broken.

* * *

><p>Rick tossed and turned on the small loveseat in Lori's cabin. The last few nights of sleeping on it had given him a permanent crick in his neck and his legs kept falling asleep from being draped over the arm rest. Consequently he'd gotten very little sleep over the last few days and the effects were starting to show. He wavered between irritation and having an incredibly slow reaction time to his surroundings and he counted himself lucky that he hadn't died today in the woods. The adrenaline had kept him going but he knew he needed to get some better sleep.<p>

"It wasn't just the adrenaline." A small voice whispered in his head and he sighed and flipped on to his back. He could ignore the little voice all he wanted but it didn't mean it wasn't right. His fear for Hannah, his need to find her and keep her safe, had pushed him through the woods in a near panic. He had killed the Walkers on autopilot, desperate to find her.

He envied Daryl. He had simply taken control of the situation with Amelia and was with her right now. It was his right to do that - to care for her, to ensure she was warm and safe and to stay with her through the night. Rick didn't have those rights with Hannah and it was driving him crazy. Instead of being curled up next to her in her bed he was lying on a lumpy, scratchy loveseat in the cabin of a woman who used to love him and now hated him, while Hannah spent the night with another man.

He sat up with a frustrated sigh and rubbed his neck. He looked behind him at Lori's closed bedroom door. They had fought tonight, yelling at each other in comically low whispers so that Carl wouldn't wake up, and if it hadn't already been dark he would have left for his own cabin.

She had been angry with him; furious that he had once again ran off into the woods without any regard for Carl. His lack of sleep and irritation had made him lose it on her. She had always complained that he never really fought with her, that he never lost control and was always trying to reason every one of their problems out. He rubbed his neck again, thinking that after tonight Lori probably wished she had never complained about his lack of fighting.

He had practically exploded with rage when she had brought up his need to be a hero and not thinking of Carl again. He had raged at her, calling her selfish and thoughtless and so worried about her own skin that she had lost the ability to be sympathetic towards the others in the camp. He had accused her of using his love for Carl as a way for her to control Rick and his actions. He had finished by reminding her that she had chosen to leave him and that she had lost the right to tell him what he could or couldn't do. By the time he was done, she had been deathly pale and more angry than he had ever seen her before. She had snapped at him to leave as soon as it was morning and to not bother checking on her again before going to her bedroom. The minute the door had shut behind her Rick's anger had popped like a balloon, leaving him feeling sick to his stomach and disgusted with himself at his loss of control.

He rubbed his forehead wearily. He knew part of his problem was that Hannah had rejected his company tonight for the company of a complete stranger. It had hurt him more –

He sat up straight, pushing the blanket off, "Oh my God." He whispered. He had left Hannah with a complete stranger. They all had. What had he been thinking? Paul was friendly and Aaron and Tonya had eaten dinner with him and the others in the main lodge and they had been nice enough but they were strangers.

Cursing angrily to himself, he reached for his boots; he didn't care about the curfew that he himself had insisted upon. He needed to check on Hannah. Paul could be doing anything to her right now.

"Is that what you're afraid of?" a part of him whispered. "What Paul is doing to Hannah? Or is it what they might be doing together?" He shook his head; what he was thinking was utterly ridiculous. Hannah and Paul had developed an instant connection and she was feeling alone and vulnerable but that didn't mean they were – his stomach clenched painfully. "Get control of yourself." he whispered fiercely. His head knew that what he was thinking was absolutely not happening but his body seemed to be controlled by his emotions. More accurately, by the streak of pure jealousy that was rocketing through his entire body, heating him up, making his blood boil and his logic go out the window.

He started to push his foot into his boot when Carl padded out of his bedroom. "Dad?"

He stopped, "What's wrong son?"

Carl sat down on the couch beside him, "I had a bad dream."

He put his arm around Carl who leaned into him, "I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"

Carl shook his head; he was trembling lightly, "No."

"What can I do?" Rick smiled reassuringly at Carl and squeezed his shoulders.

"Can I sit out here with you for a bit?" Carl asked. "I can't sleep now and I don't, well I don't want to be alone." He looked at his dad, "I know that's babyish of me."

He seemed almost ashamed of himself and Rick frowned, "There's nothing wrong with not wanting to be alone Carl. And it's okay to be afraid."

He sat back on the couch, and Carl curled up next to him. He sighed and stared at the ceiling; as worried as he was for Hannah, his first priority had to be Carl. He rubbed Carl's arm and waited for the morning.

* * *

><p>Isaac crept quietly to the bathroom. It was the middle of the night and he could hear Sara's gentle snores coming from her bedroom. She had moved in with him after Jeremy had killed himself and then just never moved out. He had been glad. He loved her more than he had ever loved his own mother whose motto in life had been to slap first and ask questions later, but now he wished desperately that he was alone in the cabin.<p>

He shut the bathroom door quietly behind him and lit the candle they left on the sink, with shaking hands. He squinted at his face in the mirror. He was pale, with dark circles under his eyes and his lips were trembling.

He reached for the bottle of rubbing alcohol, knocking it out of the small basket on the shelf next to the sink and winced when it hit the floor with a loud clatter. He tensed, listening for the sounds of Sara moving in her room but there was nothing.

He picked up the rubbing alcohol, opening it and pouring a small amount on to a piece of gauze. He raised the leg of his sweatpants and gingerly patted at the four scratches that started at the back of his knee and went down to the middle of his calf.

He hissed as the cold liquid stung the cuts. This was the third time tonight that he had applied the rubbing alcohol. Every time he grew close to falling asleep, an image of the Walker that had nearly killed him would float to the surface of his brain and he would jerk awake, trembling and sweating. Hannah had saved his life but not before he had been scratched by the Walker's questing fingers. He was hit with sudden inspiration and stuck his leg into the tub. He poured half the bottle of the rubbing alcohol on it and then reached for the bottle of Peroxide as well. He poured it on to the scratches, watching it bubble on his flesh.

"It's fine, it's fine, it's fine." He whispered to himself. "The scratches aren't deep; you disinfected them right away - everything's cool."

He put the peroxide away, hid the blood stained gauze deep in the wastebasket and blew out the candle. He limped back to his bedroom, crawled into bed and tried vainly to ignore the deep throbbing in his leg.


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Maggie's gentle knocking woke Daryl. He sat up in the bed looking for Amelia. She was sitting on the loveseat, wrapped in a blanket and he dressed quickly and came up behind her. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and she looked up at him and smiled.

He could see she had been crying but she wiped her face and asked, "How did you sleep?"

"Good, better than I have in a while." He replied.

"I'm glad." She pulled the blanket tighter around her.

"And you? How did ya sleep?"

She shrugged, "Not bad."

She was lying; they both knew it but neither commented on it. He bent and put his arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly. She leaned against him, "Thank you for last night Daryl. I needed you."

"I needed ya too." He replied.

She reached up and squeezed his forearm with her hands as he breathed in the scent of her hair. "I'm sorry Amelia." He whispered into her hair.

"I'm sorry too. Will you move back in? I'm miserable without you."

"Yeah, I will." He kissed her head again, "I want ya to know that I consider the past the past; I –" he paused, he hated showing any type of weakness but he needed her to know. "I forgive you okay?"

She stiffened in his arms, "Forgive me for what?" she said in a low voice.

When he didn't reply she pulled away from the circle of his arms, standing up and turning to face him. "Forgive me for what Daryl?"

His hands tightened on the fabric of the loveseat, "Ya know Amelia."

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

He sighed impatiently, "Yer really gonna make me say it?"

She stared silently at him, her face pale and her eyes dark.

"I forgive you for what ya done with Michael."

"What I did with Michael? Let me tell you what I did with Michael." She said.

He shook his head, "I don't need the details."

She continued as if he hadn't spoken. "I met Michael when he saved mine and Alicia's life. We were trapped in an alley, Walkers closing in on us and he came barrelling into the alley, swinging his axe like some crazy-ass lumberjack. Over the next few months we stuck together, connected with more survivors and became friends. Then I believed he was a cold-blooded murderer, something I am deeply ashamed of by the way, and ran away."

She began to pace back and forth, "Then I thought he had died. I met you, I fell in love with _you_and I found out Michael was alive. I tried to be his friend again until he made it clear that he wanted to be more than friends. I stopped being his friend and then he died saving my life." She spoke the last sentence in a cold, matter-of-fact tone that gave Daryl chills.

She looked up at him, "Never once, did I sleep with Michael. Yet you continue to believe that I did. You don't trust me."

"Can ya blame me?" he said harshly, "Always holdin' hands with him, huggin' him – why wouldn't I believe it?"

"Don't you dare judge the way I express my friendship Daryl Dixon." She was suddenly, ferociously angry with him. "Just because you push every single person away who tries to be your friend doesn't mean I do. And just because I hugged Michael or held his hand doesn't mean I was fucking him!"

She rounded on him, her face full of cold fury, "And you know what? The minute I found out Michael was in love with me, I stopped holding his hand and kept my distance, and I did everything I could to make sure he knew that I only wanted to be friends and that it was you I wanted. And when that didn't work; when he continued to disrespect our relationship, continued to disrespect _you_ I stopped being his friend. And yeah, maybe I waited a little too fucking long to do that but I'm not like you – I give people a chance!"

"In the woods…" Daryl started.

"Michael was leaving!" she shouted at him, "I was in the woods with him that day because he was leaving the group and he wanted me to know. He was leaving because of _me_ Daryl. Do you know how badly that made me feel?"

She shook her head, "No I suppose you don't. Because you don't let people get close to you; you don't want them to care about you or to love you and the minute they do something that you don't like, you use it as an excuse to push them away."

She threw the blanket on to the floor, "Michael was leaving the group because he was in love with me and knew that I was too in love with you to ever give him a chance. I hugged him goodbye and he gave me a kiss. That's what you saw in the woods."

She was panting now, her face pale but her cheeks glowing with colour, "But he didn't get the chance to leave did he? Instead he died in the woods protecting me. He died because I was too slow and too weak to save him."

"Amelia – "

She shook her head, "A good man died yesterday Daryl. A man who was my friend - a man who loved me more than I deserved."

"Amelia, I don't know what ya want me to say. Merle told me –"

"Fuck Merle!" she shouted, "He's doing this on purpose; he's driving us apart can't you see that?"

"It's not just Merle who saw you." Daryl said quietly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Someone else confirmed what Merle told me." He glared at her.

"Who?" she demanded.

"Isaac."

Her mouth dropped open, "Isaac? Are you kidding me? Have you even spoken two words with Isaac since we brought him back here? "

"What does that matter? I asked him about you and Michael and he told me how you snuck around together."

"He's lying!" she cried.

"Why? Why would he do that?" Daryl shouted at her.

"I don't know! Maybe he's a pathological liar; maybe he was doing it for shits and giggles or maybe your brother had something on him and is making him participate in his twisted, sick little game. I don't know why he said it but you can damn well be sure I'm going to find out."

"I told you before that Merle don't lie." Daryl said stubbornly, "Ya don't know Merle like I do Amelia. You see him and all ya see is an ignorant redneck."

"Your love for him has blinded you to the truth Daryl. I know he's the only family you have but you have to take your blinders off. Please!" she suddenly begged.

"I thought maybe you'd be different. Thought maybe ya wouldn't judge him the way others do. I know he ain't perfect, I know he's a racist and an asshole and he don't get along with most people but goddammit Amelia he's still my brother. You haven't even given him a chance. You have no idea the kind of man he really is."

"I know exactly the kind of man your brother is." She said angrily. "He made it perfectly clear when he left me to die in the woods."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?" Daryl froze.

"After Michael died, I was attacked by a Walker. It was on top of me, lunging for my throat and I saw your brother in the bushes beside me, just watching. I begged him to help me and he walked away."

Daryl's face paled, "He wouldn't do that. You must have just thought ya'd seen him."

Amelia just stared at him and Daryl could pinpoint the second her anger dissipated. She looked at the floor for a long moment and then back at him. Her face was almost serene, "I want you to leave Daryl."

"Amelia ya have to understand –"

"I understand that you've made your choice and I've asked you to leave." She said calmly.

He pulled his boots on, gathered his coat and left. The door shut behind him and Amelia's calm façade faded; she burst into tears and crumpled to the floor.


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Rick knocked on Hannah's door. The minute Glen had given the okay he had been up and heading towards Hannah's cabin, leaving Carl sleeping peacefully on the loveseat.

He knocked again then tried the doorknob. It was locked and he rapped hard on the door, "Hannah, let me in!" he said loudly.

The door opened with a jerk, "Rick, what's wrong?" Hannah was wearing just her long t-shirt and she shivered in the cold air.

"Are you okay?" he pushed past her.

"I'm fine." She shut the door and returned to the kitchen as Rick took his coat off and threw it over the chair.

"Did you get any sleep, I was worried that –" he stopped as Paul sat up in Hannah's bed and swung his legs over the edge. He ran his hands through his hair, yawned and then looked over at Rick, "Morning mate."

He went into the bathroom and shut the door. Rick looked at Hannah and she arched her eyebrow at him, "Close your mouth Rick."

She opened the door of the cook stove and grabbed a chunk of wood from the small wood box next to it. She threw the wood in, wincing as she bent down. Rick went to her and helped her straighten up.

She tried to pull away and he backed her up against the counter. He examined her head and grimaced. The skin around the stitched cut was red and puffy and he could already see the beginning of the bruising. "You should take some antibiotics."

She nodded, "Paul already mentioned that. He's going to look at what we have and pick some out for me."

He scowled at the mention of Paul's name. "Hannah, what –"

The bathroom door opened and Paul came out dressed in the same clothes he was wearing yesterday. "Ahh, the simple joy of an indoor loo. I've been squatting on the ground for so long I'd almost forgotten how to sit on an actual toilet."

Hannah laughed as Paul came into the kitchen. Rick stepped to her side and slid a possessive arm around her waist, pulling her against him. Hannah frowned and tried to subtly step away but he tightened his arm, his hand pressing into her hip.

"I don't suppose you have coffee?" Paul said hopefully. He glanced at Rick's arm around Hannah's waist but didn't say anything.

Hannah smiled, "We have coffee in the main lodge and I've also got some here. Take your pick. But I'll warn you – it's instant coffee and it doesn't taste that great."

Paul clapped his hands together with undisguised glee "Here is fine. I don't care what it tastes like just as long as –"

"You should probably go to the main lodge." Rick interrupted. "I imagine you'd like to see your friends and we usually meet in the lodge for meals."

"Great idea mate. Hannah, should I wait for you?" Paul asked.

She shook her head, "No, I won't be long. Go and talk to Aaron and I'll see you in a few minutes okay?"

He smiled. "Sounds good duckie. Before I go let me take a quick look at your head."

Rick reluctantly released Hannah so she could stand in front of Paul. He peered at her forehead, touching it lightly with his fingers. "How does that feel?"

"Fine. It hurts and I have a headache but it could be worse." She said softly.

"With your history of infection, we'll get you started on antibiotics just to be on the safe side."

He pulled on his jacket, "I'll meet you in the lodge yeah?"

Hannah nodded, "Thank you again Paul – for everything."

He regarded her gravely, "Anytime pet. " With a nod to Rick he left the cabin, shutting the door quietly behind him.

As soon as his footsteps had faded, Hannah turned on Rick, "What the hell Rick?"

He held his hands up innocently, "What?"

She strode towards him and poked him in the chest, "Don't you what me. You were downright rude to Paul."

"I don't like him and I don't like the way he looks at you." Rick muttered.

"Oh my God." She rolled her eyes. Paul has been unbelievably kind to me. He took care of me last night."

"Yeah, I saw how kind he was to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hannah glared at him.

"It means I came in here this morning and Paul was in your bed!" he nearly shouted at her.

"Are you jealous of Paul?" she asked incredulously.

"No." he lied.

"You are." She grinned, "You're jealous of Paul." She started to giggle, even though it hurt her head.

His face flushed and he stepped closer to her. She backed up until her butt hit the counter, the giggles drying up in her throat at the look on his face.

He reached out and slid his hand under her hair, cupping the back of her skull and running his thumb along her jaw, "What happened between you and Paul last night? His voice was dangerously soft and she could hear the anger bubbling just under the surface of it.

"That's none of your business." She aimed for assertive but her voice came out in a whispery little squeak. Desire was starting to race through her veins.

His eyes darkened and he leaned down, brushing his lips against hers, "He was in your bed. I don't want him in your bed again."

"You don't get a say in who shares my bed." She whispered shakily.

"Did he touch you like this?" he boldly cupped her breast. She wasn't wearing a bra and he ran his thumb over the nipple, watching the desire flash across her face as her nipple hardened. He kissed her, slipping his tongue easily past her lips and into her warm mouth. She moaned and kissed him back for a moment before she pulled away abruptly.

"Enough Rick – you can't just keep touching me like this. I don't belong to you." She tried to sound firm and not like she was aching to take him to her bed.

He planted his hands on the counter on either side of her, trapping her. "Tell me what happened between you and Paul last night." He insisted.

When she stayed quiet, he rested his forehead against hers, "Please Hannah."

His whispered plea along with the look of misery on his face made her relent, "I'll tell you what happened when you admit to me that you're jealous of Paul."

He took a deep breath, "I am jealous Hannah. I hate that I am; I know I don't have the right to be but I am."

She pulled her head back so she could look him directly in the eye, "First – the fact that you think I would sleep with someone after knowing them for only a few hours is incredibly insulting. If you were anyone else I'd say go screw yourself but since I threw myself at you five minutes after meeting you, I'll cut you some slack."

He smiled a little, "You were delirious so it doesn't count." He grew somber, "I am sorry though; knowing you were alone with another man all night made me go a little crazy. And then I found him in your bed this morning."

"Second," she said quietly, "Paul is already in a relationship."

Rick felt a surge of relief go through him; he tried to hide it but obviously it was showing on his face because Hannah rolled her eyes a little and pushed at his arms.

"I need to get dressed."

He didn't want to let her go. "I'm surprised Tonya was okay with Paul staying with you." He said thoughtfully.

She smiled, "Um Rick, Paul's not in a relationship with Tonya."

Rick frowned, "Then who -?" he paused as the light bulb went on, "Oh."

"Yes – oh." She said mockingly.

"Did you know before I left your cabin last night?" he asked.

"I had my suspicions. He confirmed it for me."

"So that's why you didn't care if he helped you into the tub."

"Well, that plus the fact that he's a paramedic. I'm not the first naked woman he's seen Rick." She rolled her eyes again.

She squeaked in surprise when Rick lifted her and sat her on the counter. He pushed himself between her legs and gripped her thighs with his strong hands. "I don't want anyone seeing you naked but me." He slipped his hands under her t-shirt, running them along the smooth flesh of her thighs and up to her hips. He pulled her up against him and kissed her.

She kissed him back, threading her fingers through his hair as he deepened the kiss. They broke apart, both of them breathing heavily. "You should stay away from me." She sighed.

"I can't." he replied simply. "I didn't sleep at all last night; I kept picturing Paul touching you, kept hearing you moaning his name instead of mine." He cupped her bare breast; his hand was warm and rough and she shivered delicately.

"I was going crazy in the woods." He continued, his thumb rubbing over her nipple. "When I couldn't find you; when I thought you were hurt or – " he swallowed convulsively, "dead, I nearly lost it. I don't want you out of my sight ever again Hannah."

A pang of guilt went through Hannah. Michael's death meant only that she had to rethink her plans for leaving; it didn't change her decision. She knew in her heart that leaving was the only way she would be able to stay away from Rick, to give him the chance to mend the rift with his wife.

Even now, despite her guilt, she could feel her body responding to his gentle touch. Just the feel of his lips on her throat, the motion of his tongue tasting the sensitive skin was enough to make desire course through her veins.

"Rick, I can't keep doing this to you." She whispered, "It isn't fair of me."

He shook his head, "I don't care. Even if this is nothing more than you using me - I'll take you however I can get you Hannah."

She was suddenly, bitterly tired of fighting her desire for him. She would be leaving soon and she realized she desperately wanted all of the memories she could get of Rick and his warm touch. She wrapped her legs around his waist, crossing her feet and pulling him tightly against her as he kissed his way to her ear and nipped her earlobe. She flattened herself against him and placed a soft, open-mouth kiss on his collarbone. He groaned, flaming her desire even more, and she traced his collarbone with her tongue. His hand tightened on her breast and he plucked roughly at her nipple until it lengthened and hardened. He pulled her shirt up and over her head and she stared down at herself. Her skin looked very pale next to the tanned skin of his hand and when he cupped his hand over her breast, it fit neatly into the palm.

She had always been a little self-conscious of her small chest, had even at one point thought about having surgery to enlarge them, and some of her discomfort must have shown on her face because he frowned, "What?"

She shrugged, "Sometimes I wish they were a bit bigger."

He shook his head immediately, "They're perfect." He pinched her nipple again making her gasp, "I love how sensitive they are." He whispered into her ear, "And they fit perfectly into my mouth." He dipped his head and captured her nipple between his teeth. He pulled on it, making her moan, and then sucked and nipped gently before soothing the slight pain with his tongue.

He looked up at her, her nipple still in his mouth and sucked hard on the rosy peak. With a small cry she yanked his head upwards and angled her mouth over his, pushing her tongue deep into his mouth. They kissed, she thought she would never get tired of the feel of his mouth on hers, until he pulled back, gasping for breath.

"Take me to bed." She whispered, her hands digging into his back.

"Yes ma'am." He smiled.

He picked her up off the counter, she kept her legs wrapped around his waist, and carried her out of the kitchen. He had only taken two steps towards the bed when they both heard Daryl yelling across the clearing, "MERLE! Open the fucking door right now! MERLE!"

Rick stared at Hannah. "You should go." She whispered, ignoring the disappointment running through her body.

He nodded and placed her gently on the floor, kissing her one last time before leaving the cabin. She sighed and hurried towards her bed to get dressed.


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Rick winced as Daryl pounded on the door of Merle's cabin and shouted again for Merle to open the door. He ran up the steps and put his hand on Daryl's shoulder. The smaller man immediately swung around, a grimace crossing his face when he saw who it was.

He shrugged Rick's hand away and pounded on the door again, "Merle, open the _fucking_ door." He shouted.

"Daryl, shut your goddamn mouth!" Rick snapped. "You want to bring every Walker in the woods down on us?"

Daryl's shoulders sagged and he turned to Rick, "I need to speak to my brother."

"Yeah, we all do." Rick said tightly, "He's got a lot of explaining to do. Hollering and pounding on his cabin door doesn't seem to be helping though."

He opened the outside shutters and peered into the cabin, cupping his hands around his face to block the light. "Besides, I don't think he's in there."

"Then where the fuck is he?" Daryl grunted. He kicked the door of the cabin in frustration. "If he's in there hiding like some pansy-ass chicken shit I swear to God, I'll –"

"Daryl." Rick interrupted. He was staring across the clearing at a figure limping through the trees. It stopped and leaned against the side of Julie's cabin, its head down and its chest heaving. Rick noticed the large branch in the man's left hand at the same moment he noticed the missing right hand.

"Merle?" Daryl whispered, squinting at the man. Merle was covered in blood and as he pushed away from the cabin and staggered forward using the branch as a cane, Daryl started down the steps.

"Daryl, wait!" Rick grabbed his arm. "He could be a Walker."

Daryl shook his hand off impatiently and ran down the steps and across the clearing; Rick cursed softly and followed him.

"Merle?" Daryl slowed as he reached his brother and pulled his crossbow from his shoulder. Merle looked up and Daryl breathed a sigh of relief at the awareness in his eyes. They were rimmed with red and filled with pain but there was no doubt that it was still his brother.

"Little brother..." Merle whispered and then collapsed to his knees.

Daryl rushed towards him as Merle slowly pitched forward. He caught Merle before he could land face first on the hard ground and cradled him in his arms.

"Merle." He whispered. Rick squatted beside them and put his fingers on Merle's neck.

"He's still alive." He stood up, "I'll get Hershel."

Rick hurried to the kitchen of the main lodge. He suspected most of the others would have gathered together for breakfast and as he burst through the door and ran into the kitchen, everyone looked at him with fear.

"Hershel and Melissa we need you." He paused and glanced at Paul, sitting with Aaron and Tonya, "And you too Paul if you don't mind."

Glen stood up, "What's going on?"

"Merle's back and he's hurt pretty badly. He came stumbling out of the woods five minutes ago, covered in blood and just collapsed. We'll need some help carrying him to his cabin."

Hershel, Paul, Glen and Aaron stood and left the table. T-Dog stood to join them but paused and turned around; Melissa was still sitting at the table, her hands wrapped around her mug, a stubborn look on her face.

"Mel," he squatted beside her, "We need your help baby."

She shook her head and said in a low voice, "Let him die."

"No Mel." T-Dog rested his forehead against hers, "There's been enough death."

She glared at him, "Because of him! Michael is dead because of that asshole and I'll be damned if I help save his life. He can rot for all I care!" Her voice rose until she was almost yelling and T-Dog ran soothing hands over her arms.

"Okay Mel, okay." He kissed her forehead, knowing there was no point in arguing with her. She had the kindest heart of any person T-Dog had ever known but she also had a stubborn streak a mile wide and he knew from experience that she wouldn't budge on this.

He kissed her again as Beth stood, "I'll help Dad." She said quietly and followed the others out of the lodge.

Rick watched Daryl pace back and forth on the small porch. He was biting his thumb compulsively and twenty minutes ago when Amelia had walked past the cabin he had started to follow her before pausing and turning away. Amelia hadn't even looked in their direction, just walked steadily towards the main lodge, her head up and her back straight. Daryl had watched her furtively, gnawing on the skin of his thumb, until she had disappeared into the lodge.

"When he wakes up, I need to speak with him." Rick said quietly. He was sitting on one of the wicker chairs, hands folded neatly on his lap.

"If he wakes up." Daryl muttered. "And ya ain't the only one who needs to speak with 'im."

"If he deliberately got Frank drunk; if he knew the Walkers were headed towards Michael and the others and didn't raise the alarm – I'll kick him out of this camp." Rick spoke firmly.

Daryl didn't respond and Rick continued, "I know he's your brother Daryl but if he's allowing our people to die out there, he can't stay."

Daryl looked at him, his eyes dark and haunted, "Amelia says he saw her being attacked by a Walker and he just walked away." His voice was so low, Rick could hardly hear him.

"Said she begged him to help her and he didn't." Daryl ran a hand over his face.

"Do you believe her?" Rick asked steadily.

Daryl shrugged, "I don't know. There was a lot happening; she was scared – she could have just thought she saw him. I mean, Merle ain't a good guy but he ain't a monster."

When Rick said nothing, Daryl frowned at him, "He ain't Rick! He ain't done nothin' to you and T-Dog since he's been back has he? Forgive and forget is what he's done."

"No." Rick acknowledged. "He hasn't done anything to us."

Daryl stared at him, obviously wanting to say something else. Rick gestured to him, "What is it?"

"Merle told me that Amelia is – was sleepin' with Michael when I wasn't around."

"You can't possibly believe that."

"Merle ain't never lied to me." Daryl replied.

"What did Amelia say?"

"She denied it o'course." Daryl sat down in the other chair, "But ya know her and Michael were close. He was in love with her."

"That doesn't mean she was sleeping with him Daryl. I'm pretty sure she's fairly fond of you." Rick said carefully. "And I don't mean to be disrespectful but your brother doesn't have the best reputation."

Daryl dropped his head into his hands, "I know. But Isaac told me the same thing – that he had seen her and Michael sneakin' around together when I ain't there."

Rick frowned, "For what it's worth I've never seen Amelia alone with anyone other than Carol and Hannah. You need to speak with Amelia."

"I tried. I told her this mornin' that it didn't matter to me if she had slept with Michael and she – well, let's just say it didn't go over that well."

"Yeah, I bet it didn't." Rick replied wryly.

"I need to talk to Merle – if what Amelia says is true, if he left her to die, then I'll help you kick his ass out of here myself." Daryl vowed.

"Do you really think he'll tell you the truth?" Rick asked, "He's not stupid. If he tells you that he didn't help Amelia, he knows you'll –"

The door opened and Hershel stepped out onto the porch. "Well, from what Paul and I can tell he doesn't have any bites on him. There are some scratches on his arms but we think it's from tree branches." He accentuated the work "think" so lightly that Rick wasn't sure if Daryl even heard it.

"Is he awake?" Daryl asked.

Hershel shook his head, "No, and he probably won't be for awhile. He's got a broken ankle, he's dehydrated and he's suffering from hypothermia. He may lose a couple of his toes to frostbite. He must have been out in the woods all night."

He paused, "Paul and I are going to try and set his ankle while he's still unconscious. We're going to need some thick branches to use as a splint."

Daryl nodded, "I'll find some." He left the porch and trudged towards the woods.

Rick stared solemnly at Hershel, "What are the chances those scratches on his arms are from a Walker?"

Hershel shrugged, "I can't rightly say Rick. We'd be wise to keep someone with him at all times until we know for sure. I imagine we'll know one way or the other in a couple of days."

Rick nodded, "I want to know the minute he wakes Hershel. You come and find me."


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Amelia entered the main lodge. She was tired and close to tears, and walking by Daryl without acknowledging him had been so upsetting it had made her stomach hurt.

"Get used to it." She told herself grimly. She blinked back the tears and looked around for Hannah. She didn't see her but Sara was sitting on the couch closest to the fire, wrapped in a blanket and she gestured to Amelia to come to her.

Amelia crossed the room and stood in front of her, "Hi Sara."

"You look like you could use some comfortin' little girl." Sara smiled and opened the blanket, holding her arms out to her.

The tears that were threatening spilled over onto Amelia's cheeks and she found herself almost climbing into Sara's lap. She clung to the old woman as she wrapped them both in the blanket and began to rock slowly back and forth.

"Tell Sara what's wrong honey." She said softly; one worn hand stroked Amelia's head.

"I'm sad." Amelia said simply, "My friend is dead and Daryl hates me."

"Michael's gone home to be with the Lord, no doubt about that, and I can guarantee you that your man doesn't hate you." Sara said. She continued to embrace Amelia, humming softly under her breath as Amelia laid her head on Sara's shoulder and cried.

When Amelia's crying had dried up, leaving only the occasional watery sob and hiccup, Sara said, "Did you know that Walter and I were married nearly 50 years?"

Amelia shook her head.

"He died just about two months after our 48th anniversary. It was a heart attack. We went to bed like we always did and in the morning I was the only one who woke up."

"I'm sorry Sara." Amelia whispered.

"I am too." Sara said thoughtfully, "Although with the world the way it is now, I guess I'm not sorry that the Lord took him from me. I'll be 81 years old in a month or so and Walter would have been 85. I guess 85 is too old to be tryin' to survive the end of the world."

"I guess it might be." Amelia smiled a little.

"Ayuh." Sara replied. "I'll see him again in heaven. Point is Amelia, 48 years is a long time to be married. We had our fair share of fights, let me tell you. Our worse fight though happened before we was even married."

"What did you fight about?"

Sara smiled, "You know I don't rightly remember. My memory seems to fade a little more each day if I'm bein' truthful. But I do remember how angry I was with him. How I hated him and yet loved him at the same time. It was a terrible feeling. We didn't speak for nearly a week, the longest since we started courtin', and oh was I miserable. My daddy threatened to throw me in the hay combine at one point."

"You obviously made up." Amelia said.

"That we did. I loved Walter somethin' fierce. We never did have children. Nowadays they can tell you if it's the man or the woman who can't have babies but back then we just didn't know. Walter was my whole world and I was his." she paused, "Yer man reminds me a lot of Walter."

Amelia looked up at her, "Walter was like Daryl?" She was shocked. From the stories Sara had told about Walter, Amelia had always imagined him as a gentle and sweet man who was slow to anger.

Sara smiled a little, "Well, when he was younger anyway. He mellowed out quite a bit as the years went by. But he was hotheaded, and did he have a temper? My goodness, I remember once he punched a man straight in the face because the man said somethin' improper about my dress." Sara's voice was a mixture of pride and embarrassment. "Stubborn too. Once he got somethin' into his head it was nearly impossible to convince him otherwise."

"Daryl thinks I slept with Michael behind his back. He won't believe me that I didn't. He doesn't trust me." Amelia whispered.

Sara squeezed her shoulders, "Give him time honey. He'll come around. He loves you; it's plain enough to see."

"It's not about love Sara. It's about trust. Daryl trusts Merle more than he trusts me."

"Just give him time." Sara repeated herself, "He'll make the right decision."

Hannah was approaching them from the kitchen and Amelia sat up, "Thank you Sara."

"Yer welcome dearie."

As Hannah sat down on the couch beside Amelia, she asked Sara one last question, "Do you know where Isaac is?"

Sara nodded, "He's back at the cabin. I knocked on his bedroom door this morning and he said he wasn't feelin' well. He was going to sleep a while longer. I imagine he's trying to recover from yesterday. My understanding is it was a close call for all of you." She looked at Hannah's head – the skin was bruised and puffy around the sutures.

Hannah gripped Amelia's hand tightly, "Isaac nearly died yesterday. There was a Walker pinning him down. I killed it, another Walker showed up and he ran."

Amelia stared at her, "He left you?"

Hannah shook her head, "He was frightened Amelia. He tries to act older but he's only 20; still just a boy really – I don't blame him for running."

Sara sighed deeply, "That child had to kill his own mama. I guess she turned and broke into his bedroom; tried to eat her only child. He beat her brains in with a baseball bat."

Despite herself, Amelia could feel a thread of sympathy for Isaac. "That's awful."

The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes. The door of the lodge opened and Rick entered, brining a blast of cold air in with him. He scanned the room until he found Hannah, nodded at her, then walked over to T-Dog and Ethan who were sitting at the kitchen table with Melissa and Carol.

He spoke briefly with them before they rose and left the lodge. Rick crossed the room to the three of them, squatting down and resting his hand absentmindedly on Hannah's thigh. He smiled kindly at Amelia, "T-Dog, Ethan, Aaron and I are going to get Michael. We'll bring him back, bury him and have a service okay?"

Amelia nodded, "Yes. Rick I – " she paused and he smiled encouragingly at her, "Thank you." She whispered.

Rick looked at Hannah who gave him a pale smile, "Promise me you'll be careful."

He nodded, squeezing her thigh, "I promise."

Amelia shoveled grimly as Carl dropped into the hole beside her with his own shovel and began to chip away at the hard ground. She had left Sara and Hannah in the lodge; her plan had to been to go to Isaac's cabin and confront him but she had been stopped by the sight of Scott digging into the ground about 3 feet from his brother's grave. A sob had escaped her throat but she had found a shovel and joined him. He had nodded to her and they had shoveled in silence.

The ground was nearly frozen and before long they were both sweating and Scott disappeared briefly before returning with a pick-axe. He broke up the dirt as best he could and then he and Amelia scooped it out with their shovels.

Now, she smiled gratefully at Carl, "Thank you honey."

He nodded, his young face solemn, and grunted as he tossed a shovelful of dirt out of the grave. Amelia paused to shed her jacket, she was sweating profusely, and as she tossed it a few feet from the grave she noticed Daryl. He was standing on Merle's porch, staring at her. She turned away, grabbing her shovel, and continued to dig.

It took them nearly an hour to bring Michael's body back. By that time, Melissa and Tonya had joined them and the five of them were taking turns digging into the cold ground. Amelia started to shake as they entered the clearing. Michael's body was wrapped in a sheet and they placed him gently on the ground next to the open grave.

She put her arm around Melissa. The small redhead was trembling and crying profusely as Julie came out of her cabin. Amelia hadn't seen her all day and her heart ached dully as she watched Julie approach Michael's body. She knelt next to his body, crying openly, and unwrapped the sheet from his face and head.

A loud sobbing gasp escaped Julie's throat at the sight of Michael's gray, still face. Amelia could see the gaping wound on the top of his skull where she had drove the axe into his head and she closed her eyes as T-Dog walked over to her and Melissa. He drew Melissa close to him, hesitated and then pulled Amelia against him as well.

Amelia leaned against T-Dog's solid warmth, burying her face in his chest and keeping her eyes closed as Julie sobbed quietly. A soft hand squeezed her arm and she looked over to see Hannah standing beside her. She squeezed her arm again and then went to Julie. Her face was very pale, the black sutures on her forehead stood out starkly against the white of her skin, but she kneeled beside the young woman and put her arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry honey." She whispered as Julie turned and threw her arms around her, nearly knocking her to the ground. Ethan, Rick and Glen began to lower Michael's body into the grave and Hannah rose to her feet, pulling Julie with her. "Come with me. We'll go into the lodge and get warmed up."

Julie shook her head, "No, I'm staying with Michael."

Hannah looked helplessly at her. "Honey, you don't need to see this."

Julie shook her head again, "I'm staying."

Amelia left the comfort of T-Dog's arms and picked up her shovel. Tears trickling down her face, she started to shovel dirt into the grave, wincing at the sound it made hitting Michael's body. Scott joined her silently and together they began to fill in the grave. Rick took the shovel from Carl, pulling his jacket off, and shoveling grimly but when Glen tried to take the shovel from Amelia, she shook her head and wrenched it free.

The three of them filled in the grave as the others began to gather around. When the last of the dirt had been shoveled onto the grave, Amelia tossed her shovel to the side and wiped her face wearily. She was tired and felt sick to her stomach as Julie sobbed relentlessly in Hannah's arms.

Carol left her cabin, and holding Jacob and Ellie's hands, walked slowly to the others. She stopped beside Ethan who picked up Jacob in one arm and put his other around Carol. She leaned against him as Ellie hid her face against her hip.

Amelia squatted down, "Ellie baby." She said softly. She suddenly, desperately, wanted to hold Ellie and when Ellie continued to hide her face against Carol, she could feel fresh tears starting. Just when she was about to stand back up, Ellie looked up at her, her small face was streaked with tears, and then ran across the clearing, throwing herself into Amelia's arms.

Amelia picked her up, welcoming the strangle hold that Ellie put around her neck as the little girl cried into her throat.

"I miss Michael." She sobbed.

"I know baby girl." Amelia whispered, rubbing her back.

"I wish he hadn't died." Ellie looked at her and Amelia wiped the tears from her soft face.

"Me too Ellie baby."

Ellie leaned her head against Amelia's shoulder, "Where's Daryl?"

"He's with his brother."

"Oh. Can I stay with you guys tonight?"

Amelia nodded, wiping away her own tears, "Yes, I'd like that Ellie. Daryl will – will be with his brother so we'll have a girl's night okay?"

Ellie nodded. "Can I sleep in the bed with you?"

"Yes. And I'll make you hot chocolate like Carol does."

"Okay. I'm sad that Michael is dead."

"I'm sad too." Amelia whispered. She hugged Ellie tightly and glanced around at the group. Daryl and Merle were missing, as were Frank and Isaac. She frowned; she would have to speak to Isaac first thing in the morning. She closed her eyes and rested her head against Ellie's as Sara smiled kindly at the group and opened her bible.


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Hannah knocked on Amelia's door. It was getting close to dark; the group had eaten dinner in the lodge and it had been a solemn and quiet affair. Amelia hadn't eaten anything, her face was pale and drawn and she kept Ellie close to her. After dinner Carol had taken a plate to Daryl and afterwards, she had hugged Amelia and reassured her that Daryl was okay and had eaten some dinner.

Amelia simply shrugged, her face blank, and replied, "I don't care."

Carol frowned, "Amelia, I know you're hurting but –"

"Stop Carol -it's over. Daryl made his choice and it wasn't me." Amelia whispered wearily.

"But you love each other, you can't possibly –"

"Please, I'm very tired and I don't want to talk about this okay?" Amelia pleaded, "It's over Carol."

Carol nodded as Ellie came over, "I'm going to stay with 'melia tonight." She said solemnly.

"Sure honey." Carol smiled. "You be a good girl okay?"

"I will." Ellie promised. She kissed Carol and then took Amelia's hand. Amelia smiled down at her and led her from the lodge.

Now, she opened the door and smiled a little when she saw Hannah. "Hey, come in."

Hannah followed her into the kitchen. Ellie was sitting at the table, drinking hot chocolate and looking at a book of nursery rhymes.

"Hi Hannah." She said shyly.

"Hello Ellie." Hannah sat down beside her.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Amelia asked.

Hannah shook her head. "No, I just came to check on you." She wanted to say more but Ellie was staring at her with vivid interest.

"Are you – how are you feeling?" Hannah asked hesitantly.

Amelia shrugged, "Tired. We're sad and we miss Michael don't we Ellie?"

Ellie nodded.

"I can stay with you tonight if you would like." Hannah offered.

Ellie shook her head, "I'm staying with Amelia tonight."

Amelia smiled, "That's right. Miss Ellie is going to keep me company and help me not be so sad."

Hannah stroked the little girl's head, "That's really nice of you Ellie."

"I know." Ellie replied and took a sip of her hot chocolate.

Amelia and Hannah both laughed before Amelia gripped Hannah's hand tightly in her own. "Thank you for offering but I'll be fine." She lowered her voice as Ellie began to flip through the book again, "Ellie is a good distraction and I'm wondering if maybe you shouldn't stay with Julie tonight?"

Hannah shook her head, "Julie's staying with Sara in Isaac's cabin. I just finished checking on them."

"Did you see Isaac?" Amelia asked.

"No. He was back in his room. Sara said he sat with them for a bit tonight, ate some of the soup that they brought him, but he was pretty pale and shaky. She thinks he must have the flu. She told him to go and see Hershel but he said he was actually feeling better than he did the day before."

Amelia frowned, "I'll stop by in the morning and speak with him." She glanced at Ellie, "Isaac told Daryl that he saw me with Michael."

Hannah gaped at her. "What? Why would he do that?"

Amelia shrugged, "I don't know but I'm going to find out."

Hannah hesitated, "Honey, do you want to talk about Daryl?"

Ellie looked up, "Is Daryl going to be back soon? I want to play checkers with him."

"No baby, Daryl's staying with his brother remember?"

Ellie pouted, "I want to play checkers."

"I'll play checkers with you – go and get the board." Amelia smiled as Ellie ran to the living room.

"Can we talk later Hannah? I'm really tired."

"Of course we can." Hannah squeezed Amelia's hand.

"Besides," Amelia squinted at the cut on Hannah's head, "That thing looks painful and you probably have a massive headache."

Hannah grinned, "Nope. My head is apparently as hard as a rock." She sobered, "I never thanked you for saving my life Amelia."

Amelia shrugged, "I'm just glad you're okay." She looked out the windows, "It's almost dark; I need to get the shutters closed and you need to get yourself tucked in for the night."

She stood up and gave Hannah a hard hug, "Thank you, I love you Hannah."

"Love you too Amelia. I'll see you in the morning." Hannah kissed Amelia's cheek and waved goodbye to Ellie before heading to her cabin.

Hannah carefully brushed her hair. It was wet from her bath earlier and as she eased the comb through it, she squinted at the cut on her forehead in the mirror. It had bruised badly but she thought the puffiness was starting to go down. Paul had started her on antibiotics and had checked the cut after they had buried Michael. He had been pleased with how it looked and had given her a quick peck on the cheek before introducing her to Aaron. Aaron was tall with a pleasing baritone voice and his relaxed, laid-back attitude contrasted sharply with Paul's high-energy personality.

She wandered out of the bathroom and into the small kitchen. She felt restless and blue. She wished that Amelia had needed her to stay. She had never felt so alone in her life and being by herself in the cabin meant there was nothing to distract her from thinking of Rick.

She had tidied the small cabin, made her bed and heated water for a bath. She had soaked for a long time, trying to keep her mind blank and relax her body but thoughts of Rick kept intruding. Just thinking about him, his voice, his hands, made her body ache with need and with a curse of frustration she had ended her bath.

She paced the kitchen for a few more minutes and then decided to make herself a cup of tea. She didn't want it but maybe it would help her relax. She was reaching for the mug when there was a soft knock at the door.

She frowned, her heart speeding up a bit; it was after dark which meant no one should be outside and she walked slowly towards it, wondering if she had only imagined the knock.

There was another soft knock; this time it was accompanied by a low voice, "Hannah – open the door."

She hurried over and unlocked the door, yanking it open and staring at Rick. The cold air made her skin break out in goose bumps and she stepped out of the way as he eased past her and shut the door, locking it behind him before dropping his coat on the love seat and walking towards her bed. He sat on the bed and unlaced his boots, pulling them off and lining them neatly at the end of it before stripping off his socks. He unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it free from his jeans and dropping it on the floor beside the bed.

He was about to pull his t-shirt over his head when she finally found her voice, "Rick – what? What are you doing here?"

He gave her a slow smile, "I was in the mood to be used."

She flushed as he pulled his t-shirt off and added it to the pile of clothes. At the sight of his naked upper body her pulse increased. Blood rushed through her veins, making her tremble and the cut on her head ache dully.

"It's after dark." She whispered as he moved towards her, "You broke your own rules."

"I guess I did." He slid his hands around her waist and tugged her against him. He kissed her neck, his beard tickled lightly and she shivered helplessly in his arms.

"What was it you suggested I do when you broke the rules?" he whispered into her ear. He tugged on her hair, pulling her head to the side so he could have easier access to the column of her throat. He licked and sucked gently until she moaned.

"I – I don't remember." She stammered.

"Liar." He slapped her lightly on the ass and then slid his hand down her leg. She was wearing a long t-shirt, her version of pyjamas, and he slipped his hand under the hem of it. He squeezed her ass through her panties and then ran his fingers delicately along her spine.

"I think there was some mention of handcuffs." At the feel of his lips on hers she opened her mouth eagerly but he just licked her top lip before pulling his mouth away.

"Handcuffing you to my bed can be arranged." She said breathlessly. She held on to his arms as he trailed a path of warm, wet kisses down her neck and just above the neckline of her t-shirt. His fingers continued their maddeningly slow pace against her spine.

"I didn't bring them with me." He kissed her collarbone.

"Chicken." She whispered.

He kissed her roughly, forcing her mouth open and she met his tongue with her own. Hannah's insides were like liquid and she reached down and unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, pushing them and the boxer briefs he wore under them down until they pooled at his feet. He stepped out of the clothes and pulled her t-shirt off, leaving her in just a plain pair of cotton panties.

She blushed a little and he stared curiously at her, "What?"

"If I had known you were dropping by I would have looked for sexier underwear."

He dipped his head and sucked on her earlobe before whispering, "My preference is no underwear on you at all."

She rolled her eyes, "Shocker."

He grinned, "Don't make me go back to my cabin and get the handcuffs."

She gave him a coy smile and leaned forward to lick one flat nipple, "Next time."

He drew his breath in sharply as she reached down and took him in her hand, rubbing her thumb over the tip of him before squeezing and stroking his length.

He pulled her hand away, "Stop distracting me. As I recall, I have a favour to return."

Her mouth parted and desire flared in her eyes as Rick picked her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently, kissed the sutured cut on her forehead softly and then pushed her legs apart. He kneeled between her pale thighs and bent his head to her breast. She arched her back as he kissed first one and then the other, tugging on each nipple until she gasped with pleasure.

He kissed his way down her body, leaving no part of her soft skin untouched by his tongue. She could feel his beard scratching against her but it was more pleasurable than painful. He took extra time to trace the twisted and puckered scar on her waist with his tongue, before kissing his way to the waistband of her panties. He pulled lightly on them with his teeth, letting them snap back against her body and grinning up at her when she jerked against him in surprise.

"Oops." He whispered.

"Jerk." She whispered back.

Slowly he pulled her panties down her legs and dropped them over the side of the bed. He lifted her leg and planted soft kisses on the scars on her calf. She tried to pull her leg away but he held it firmly and frowned up at her.

"Does that hurt?"

"No, but they're not exactly my most attractive feature." She said self-consciously.

He kissed the scars again, sending shivers down her spine, "Everything about you is beautiful." He whispered against her knee.

He traced a slow, meandering path up the inside of her thighs with his mouth and tongue. She shivered and squirmed beneath him. When he reached her throbbing center, she let her legs fall apart shamelessly. She was quivering and moaning with anticipation and at the feel of his breath she bucked her hips upwards.

He placed a kiss on her soft curls and she moaned with frustration. He moved his mouth lower, sliding his hands under her and lifting her up to his warm mouth. At the first feel of his tongue she cried out, gripping his head in her hands and pushing him into her. He licked and sucked, varying the pressure of his tongue and lips against her. His beard rubbed against her in a tantalizing combination of pleasure and pain and within a few minutes she was moaning loudly and tossing her head back and forth. Rick was licking her clit with wide, flat strokes of his tongue and she was on the verge of climaxing when he suddenly stopped and moved back up her body.

"No!" she cried out as he hovered over her.

"Yummy." He mimicked her softly and she pummeled his back with her fists. He kissed her and she kissed him back, eagerly sucking on his offered tongue. She reached down and touched herself with trembling fingers. Her body was throbbing and pulsing and she was desperate for relief. He pulled his mouth free and forced her hand away from her body.

"Rick." She groaned.

"Not yet Hannah." He whispered. He stared down at her; her normally pale body was covered with red marks from his mouth and beard. He felt an uncharacteristic wave of possessiveness wash over him and he leaned down and sucked on the flesh where her neck became her shoulder. He rubbed his chin against her soft skin as he sucked firmly. It left a much brighter red mark than the others and he felt a smug sense of satisfaction. The others would fade by morning but this one would remain, marking her as his.

"Rick..." she moaned again, her fingers digging into his back.

He kissed his way down her body again, stopping to suckle on each small breast and once again, tracing the scar on her waist. She pushed on the top of his head, trying to hurry him but he took his time tracing her navel with his tongue, kissing along her abdomen to her hips before nipping delicately on each hip bone.

When his mouth was poised once more over her throbbing core, he rubbed his face against her inner thigh. She jerked and bucked against him. Every nerve ending was sizzling and singing with desire and just the feel of his breath was bringing her close to coming.

With a low groan, he buried his face between her thighs and she threw her hand over her mouth, muffling her loud shriek as her orgasm roared through her. The pleasure rushed through her and she was consumed by the feel of Rick's warm, wet tongue. She was only dimly aware of him moving up her body, of him guiding his cock to her entrance until he began to ease himself into her. Her legs tightened convulsively around his hips.

She was soaking wet but Rick was large and she had always been naturally small and on the tight side. Unless she was on top and controlling the pace, there was always resistance and sometimes even pain and she couldn't help her body's natural reaction to push him away.

He leaned down and kissed her, "Do you want me to stop?"

She shook her head and he deepened the kiss, encouraging her to kiss him back while he cupped and kneaded her breast with one big hand. The combination of her orgasm and his unhurried kissing made her relax. Her legs loosened around him, and bracing himself on his knees, he reached down with both hands and stroked her inner thighs, gently easing them open as wide as they would go while he distracted her with his mouth and tongue. When he felt her relax completely, he pushed his entire length into her in one smooth motion.

He forced himself to stay still as she stretched around him. It was different from their lovemaking before. Hannah had been on top and it had been fast and fierce but she hadn't pushed herself fully down onto him. He couldn't blame her. Their body sizes were vastly different and he suspected the only reason he was able to enter her so easily now was because of how wet her orgasm had made her.

He looked down at her. She was staring at him, her eyes very blue in the dim light of the candle.

"Okay?" he whispered.

She nodded and he groaned a little when she rocked experimentally under him.

"Do you want to be on top?" he asked.

"No." She murmured.

Secretly he was glad. There was a part of him - a very male and primal part - that was incredibly turned on by the sight and feel of her soft and slender body beneath his. She wrapped her pale thighs around his waist and shifted a little against him, tearing another low groan from his throat.

"Just go slow okay?" she whispered.

"I'll try." He moaned and began to move slowly in and out of her. He forced himself to keep the same, measured pace. He could feel every part of her gripping him tightly, and when her muscles suddenly clenched and unclenched around his thickness, he moaned loudly and stopped.

"Please stop doing that." He was propped up on his arms above her and she could see a vein throbbing in his temple.

"Stop doing what?" she asked innocently before squeezing around him again.

This time he jerked against her and they both groaned in pleasure.

"That. Stop doing that." He said through gritted teeth.

"You don't like it?" she frowned and squeezed again, this time moving her hips in a small circular motion while she squeezed.

"Jesus, Hannah!" he cried out. He bucked against her in reflex and her nails dug into his back. Desire was flooding through her body and she suddenly couldn't take the slow, deliberate pace she had demanded.

She clamped her muscles around him for a fourth time and he growled with frustration and need. "If you keep doing that I won't be able to go slow. Please Hannah..."

She pulled his head down until she could whisper in his ear. "I don't want you to go slow. Fuck me hard and fast Rick."

He shuddered all over as if an electric current had suddenly gone through him and then he was thrusting into her furiously. She cried out hungrily as he plunged into her over and over. With a loud, gasping cry she came, her body vibrating with pleasure. He called her name, the cords in his neck standing out as he came inside of her, flooding her insides with warmth.

He collapsed against her, breathing harshly before he stretched out beside her. She pulled the covers up over them, snuggling into his warm body.

"I'm sorry; I lost control at the end. Did I hurt you?" he asked anxiously.

"No." She smiled. "Quite the opposite in fact."

He put his arm around her and she kissed his neck. "Good night Rick."

"Good night Hannah."


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84

"I have to go." Rick wrapped his arms around Hannah's waist, pulling her back against him and smiled at her in the bathroom mirror. She was examining her neck in the soft light of the candle and she frowned at him.

"What is this Rick Grimes?"

"What?" he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"This!" she pointed to the hickey at the base of her neck.

"Oops, heat of the moment I guess."

"Bullshit. You're not a 16 year old boy for God's sake." She rolled her eyes and he laughed.

"I'm sorry." He said, not sounding sorry in the least.

She turned in his arms and stretched up on her tiptoes, locking her hands around his neck. "No more marks Rick."

He nodded contritely and placed a soft kiss on her mouth, "Okay." He squeezed her waist, "I really do have to go though. I need to find out if Merle is awake and –" he hesitated, "I should probably get out of here before the others start leaving their cabins."

She nodded neutrally but her stomach churned painfully. By others Rick obviously meant his wife and son. Pull yourself together, she scolded herself. She knew what this was and it was better – easier - to just treat it as sex and nothing more. It would hurt less when she left.

There was a knock at the door and Beth's soft voice announced it was okay to leave.

"I'll see you at breakfast okay?" Rick gave her an almost anxious look and she nodded.

Rick was just leaving his cabin, after changing into a fresh pair of clothes, when he saw Daryl slip out of Merle's cabin. He met him in the middle of the clearing, "Is he awake?"

Daryl shook his head, "Nah. That Paul guy is in with him right now. He's going to sit with him for a bit – said I should get somethin' to eat and some fresh air."

The door to Amelia's cabin opened and she and Ellie stepped out into the fresh air. Ellie waved happily at Daryl, "Hi Daryl!"

He chopped his hand through the air in a brief wave and turned away as Amelia led Ellie to the main lodge. She took Ellie into the lodge but it wasn't long before she came back out; this time she headed to Sara's cabin. She knocked and entered as Tonya left the lodge and approached Rick and Daryl.

"Excuse me." She was soft spoken with warm brown eyes and light brown hair. Daryl thought this might be the first time he had even heard her speak.

"Hi Tonya." Rick nodded to her, "Have you met Daryl?"

She shook her head and held out her hand. He shook it briefly and she gave him a quick, appraising look before turning back to Rick.

"I've volunteered to do the watch today and Glen told me I'm supposed to be partnered up with someone named Frank? I'm not really sure who that is."

Daryl frowned at Rick, "Do we want him up there on watch again?"

Rick shrugged, "I'll talk to him first. I haven't seen him since the day Michael died."

"I don't think anyone has." Daryl frowned again, "He ain't been to dinner or the main lodge."

"He's probably ashamed of himself - can't face Amelia or Hannah or Isaac." Rick said darkly as Tonya listened to their conversation with interest.

He looked over at Frank's cabin, "I'd better go talk to him." Carl was just leaving his mother's cabin and he waved at his dad.

"I'll talk to him. You go see yer boy." Daryl motioned to Carl.

"You sure?" Rick asked.

"Yeah." Daryl nodded.

"I'll just wait here then?" Tonya smiled a little at Daryl.

"Just give me a minute." He grunted and headed to Frank's cabin.

* * *

><p>"Isaac!" Amelia knocked loudly on the door of Isaac's bedroom. "I need to speak with you."<p>

Sara stood behind her, "He's probably still sleeping Amelia. He needs his rest."

"I understand Sara, but it's important that I speak with him." Amelia knocked again. "Isaac, wake up!"

* * *

><p>Daryl knocked on the door of Frank's cabin. When there was no answer, he tried the door handle. It turned easily in his hand and he glanced behind him. Tonya had moved closer, she was standing near the steps of the porch and he frowned at her, "Maybe he's already in the lodge?"<p>

She shook her head, "Glen said he wasn't."

He opened the door and peered into the cabin, "Frank! Where ya at?"

* * *

><p>"Isaac! Wake up and open this door right now!" Amelia was nearly pounding on his door now.<p>

"Give it a rest Amelia." Julie advised wearily. She was sitting on the small couch and her face was haggard and drawn.

Amelia shook her head, "He can't ignore me forever. Isaac, you know why I'm here. Now open up."

"Should we run and get someone?" Sara said worriedly. "Maybe he's too sick to get out of bed."

Amelia turned around and looked at her, "Didn't he say he was getting better yesterday?"

"Yes but –" Sara gasped as the door to Isaac's bedroom opened a little and a cold, pale hand fell on to Amelia's shoulder.

* * *

><p>Daryl squinted in the dim light of the cabin. Once, when he was a small boy, he had gone into the shed that was at the back of their property looking for a fishing pole. It had been an explosively hot summer and the smell when he had opened the door of the shed had made him gag. A rat had crawled into the shed and died somewhere in its musty depths and the smell of Frank's cabin reminded him of the smell of the shed.<p>

The hair on the back of his neck was standing up and his nervous system was sending dismaying little tingles along the base of his spine. He turned slowly towards the kitchen. Frank was standing at the counter, his back to him and Daryl breathed a sigh of relief.

"Frank, I need to speak to ya." He drew close to the older man and laid his hand on his shoulder. "Hey Frank."

Frank turned and Daryl stumbled back. Frank's face was the face of a Walker, his normally ruddy face the colour of spoiled milk and his cheerful brown eyes a muddy yellow. He snarled at Daryl and Daryl took another few steps towards the front door, reaching behind his back.

As Frank lunged towards him, he realized with sudden terror that he had left the crossbow in the cabin.

* * *

><p>Amelia jumped and turned around. Isaac was standing in the doorway, mostly hidden in the shadows of his bedroom and Amelia peered at him, as Sara said softly, "Isaac? How do you feel?"<p>

There was a long pause and Sara was about to repeat the question when Isaac said, "Better. Not great, but better."

Amelia frowned, "Come out into the living room Isaac; we need to talk."

"Not right now Amelia. I'm very tired; this flu has really wiped me out."

"I understand that Isaac but we need to speak. It's very important. You can give me five –"

She paused as a scream rang out across the clearing. She ran for the door, nearly knocking Sara to the floor.

* * *

><p>"Shit!" Daryl yelled. He broke for the door as Frank leaped after him. He tried to yank the door shut behind him but Frank was right there; his cold fingers skated across the collar of his jacket as Daryl tumbled down the steps and fell to his knees. Beth was headed towards her cabin and at the sight of Frank tottering down the steps, his mouth open in a silent snarl, she screamed loudly and piercingly.<p>

Daryl staggered to his feet as Frank closed the gap between them. He turned and Tonya was in front of him, an arrow pulled back in her bow. "Down!" she shouted and he dropped to his knees as she released the arrow. It struck Frank squarely in the forehead, sinking deep into the skull.

He stood straight for a moment as the others, attracted by Beth's scream, began to emerge from the lodge and various cabins, but as Daryl rose to his feet, Frank fell forward, striking Daryl in the legs and knocking him straight into Tonya.

She fell to the ground; Daryl landed directly on top of her as Glen and T-Dog, a baseball bat in hand, ran over and flipped Frank on to his back and off of Daryl's legs. The arrow had snapped off when he hit the ground and all that was left was a small hole in his forehead, a tiny bit of wood stuck out of the hole.

Daryl looked down. Tonya was staring gravely up at him.

"Nice shot." He muttered.

Her face broke into a wide grin and she wiggled her nose, it was covered in small freckles, at him, "Nice reflexes."

He stared at her and she winked at him, "Mind getting off me cowboy; you're a little heavy."

He flushed and stood up. He hesitated and then helped her to her feet. She let her hands linger on his arms and smiled again at him, "Thank you."

"Ayuh." He muttered and backed away. He glanced over to see Amelia staring at them, her face troubled and he flushed again, feeling oddly guilty.


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter 85

"What the hell happened?" T-Dog looked up from his spot next to Frank.

Daryl shrugged, "I dunno. He was a Walker when I went into his cabin."

"When would he have been bit?" Tonya frowned and squatted down. Frank was wearing a pair of shorts and t-shirt and she lifted one arm, turning it back and forth, looking for bites.

Rick crouched down and lifted Frank's other arm. He looked it over before dropping it and staring at Daryl. "I haven't seen him since Michael died, have you?"

Daryl shook his head no and Rick looked at the others, "Has anyone seen him since Michael died?"

They all shook their heads and Hershel stepped forward. "We should look him over for bites or scratches; if there aren't any, I guess we can assume he died of natural causes."

Tonya stood up, "If he had died of natural causes, he wouldn't have turned."

There was an uncomfortable silence, and Tonya stared at them, "What?"

Rick sighed, "We need to get Frank into his cabin so Hershel can take a look at him. Daryl can you help me with that? Tonya, can you ask Paul and Aaron to meet us in the main lodge? We need to talk."

"What about watch?" Tonya asked.

T-Dog stood up, "Mel and I can take the shift." Mel nodded and they headed for the blind as Rick and Daryl carried Frank's body to his cabin.

"Hey, have you spoken to Isaac yet?" Hannah sat down at the small table in Amelia's cabin.

Amelia shook her head and dipped the teabag into the water she had just finished boiling. "No. I tried to speak to him this morning and then the thing with Frank happened. I'm going to try again after dinner."

"Have you spoken with Daryl?" Hannah asked cautiously.

"No, and I don't want to talk about it." Amelia said firmly. "Did Hershel find any bites on Frank?"

"No. Rick said that Hershel thinks Frank probably died of a heart attack."

"Christ." Amelia rubbed her forehead wearily, "Poor Frank."

"Poor Frank?" Hannah raised her eyebrows, "He's the reason Michael died."

Amelia shook her head, "No, it's Merle's fault. He gave the liquor to Frank."

Hannah took Amelia's hand, "Frank chose to drink as much as he did. I know you hate Merle, and you have every right, but Frank made his choice."

Amelia stared gravely at her, "I used to do a lot of watches with Andy; did I ever tell you that?"

Hannah shook her head.

"Well I did. I really liked Andy, he was funny and sweet and he loved to talk." She paused, smiling a little, "I mean - he really loved to talk. Anyway, one of the things he told me was that Frank used to be an alcoholic. It was just him and Frank for a few months before they joined Rick's group and Andy said the first few weeks after he met Frank that he was drunk nearly every night. It was getting so bad that he had decided to leave Frank. He said he couldn't trust that Frank would watch his back you know?"

Hannah nodded.

"But I guess they had a close call one night; Frank was drunk as usual and Andy - well I'll spare you the details - but they both nearly died that night because Frank could barely stand he was so drunk." Amelia sighed and stared into her mug, "Andy said after that, Frank stopped drinking. Just went cold turkey. Merle offering him that liquor would have been like throwing a lit match into a pool of gasoline."

"But honey, Merle wouldn't have known that Frank was an alcoholic." Hannah said.

"Are you sure about that Hannah?" Amelia said softly, "Maybe I'm paranoid but I have a feeling that Merle knew exactly what would happen if he gave Frank that alcohol. He used it to his advantage once he saw who was doing the lake run."

When Hannah frowned, Amelia pressed on, "Think about it Hannah. Merle would have seen us leaving for the lake. It was his perfect chance to get rid of me and Michael. If Michael was dead, he wouldn't be able to tell Daryl the truth about him and me and if I were dead, well, Merle would have Daryl to himself. Plus," Amelia bit at her lip, "Isaac's lies would die with him and your death would destroy Rick, a man that Merle hates."

Hannah blushed but ignored the last part, "What if Isaac won't admit he lied?"

"He'll tell the truth." Amelia said darkly, "I'll beat it out of him if I have to."

Daryl looked up, expecting Paul or Hershel, but it was Rick who had entered the cabin. He nodded and returned to staring at his brother's face.

"He hasn't woken up yet?" Rick sat down on the chair on the other side of the bed.

"Nah." Daryl grunted.

"Hershel thinks Frank died of a heart attack. He says it's impossible to know for sure what with the way his body changed."

Rick paused, "Frank was an alcoholic; did you know that?"

Daryl shook his head. "Never saw him drinking."

"He quit a month or so before they joined our group. He came to me when we first found this place – wanted to know if there was any alcohol in the kitchen and if there was, could I put it somewhere else. He didn't trust himself, he said. There were a few bottles, I tucked them away in the far end of the pantry and told Frank I had dumped them. Julie and Hannah found one; there were three left and today when I looked there were only two."

Rick stared steadily at Daryl, "Frank was pretty open about his alcoholism, and he did quite a few watch shifts with Merle in the last few weeks."

Daryl looked at him, "What ya tryin' to say Rick?"

"I'm wondering what the chances are that Merle knew Frank was an alcoholic? And if he did, why would he deliberately give Frank that bottle?"

Before Daryl could reply there was a low groan and Merle opened his eyes. He stared blearily at the both of them before rasping out, "Little brother."

Rick stood, "I'll go and get Paul." He left the room as Daryl poured a glass of water and helped Merle drink.

"You're pretty lucky mate." Paul pulled back the covers and stared at Merle's feet. He pressed on the toes on his good foot, nodding when Merle winced. "That's a good sign. You might not lose these toes after all."

"You a doctor?" Merle glared at him as Paul began to examine his broken ankle. The foot and calf were wrapped in bandages and he and Hershel had fashioned a splint from the branches that Daryl had gathered.

"Medic, actually." Paul said mildly. He unwrapped the bandage, whistling low under his breath at the sight of Merle's swollen and bruised foot and ankle. "This must hurt like a bitch."

Merle grunted and then cursed violently when Paul ran his fingers over the top of his foot. He quickly bandaged it back up.

"We should try and get his foot raised higher; it'll help with the swelling." Paul took some pillows from the couch and carefully tucked them under Merle's foot before pulling the covers back up. He rinsed his hands and dried them carefully.

"You should eat. I'll bring back some soup." He nodded to both Rick and Daryl and left the cabin.

Daryl helped Merle sit up, tucking the pillows from his bed behind Merle's back. Merle gave him a grimace of a smile, "Good to see ya little brother."

Daryl nodded, "You too."

Merle looked at Rick, "Somethin' ya want officer?"

Rick nodded, "I have some questions for you Merle."

"It can wait Rick." Daryl said.

"No, I'm afraid it can't." Rick replied firmly. He stared at Merle, noting the paleness of his skin and the sheen of sweat covering his face and arms. He wanted to ask his questions now when Merle was in pain and tired. Probably not fair of him but he would take any advantage he could when it came to Merle.

"You and Frank were on watch and Frank ended up drunk and passed out and you were missing."

Merle stared at him in grim silence.

Rick continued, "During that watch shift, Michael, Amelia, Hannah and Isaac were attacked by a herd of Walkers while doing a lake run. Michael was killed and the other three came close to dying."

Merle looked at Daryl, "That darkie bein' dead must have upset yer woman."

Before Daryl could reply, Rick said, "Did you give the alcohol to Frank?"

Merle nodded, "We shared it. I stumbled on to it in the pantry and it was a cold day - figured we could use some warming up."

"You knew Frank was an alcoholic didn't you Merle." Rick said softly.

"No Mr. Policeman I didn't." Merle sneered. "Did seem to enjoy the whiskey though."

"Michael died you ignorant asshole." Rick said loudly, "Where the hell were you?"

"I was in the woods, tryin' to save our people." Merle answered.

"Bullshit!" Rick leaned forward, "Tell the truth for once in your miserable life Merle."

"I am!" Merle glared at him, "I saw the herd comin' and tried to warn our group."

"Why didn't you radio for help?"

"I told Frank to. He said he would."

"Frank was drunk!" Rick yelled.

Merle shrugged, "Could still talk couldn't he? He wasn't passed out when I climbed out of that blind and risked my own ass to help the others. I ain't got any idea why he didn't radio y'all. I was too busy tryin' to save people."

Rick shook his head, "You're lying Merle."

Merle looked at Daryl, "You gonna let this piece of shit call me a liar little brother?"

Daryl stared at him, "Amelia said ya saw her bein' attacked by a Walker and didn't help her."

Merle glared at him, "I never saw yer stupid woman out there Daryl. Probably because I was too busy bein' attacked by a bunch of Walkers!"

He looked at Rick and then at Daryl again, "I can't believe this. I risk my life to save a bunch of yer whiny ass friends and I'm being interrogated like I'm some kind of criminal. I coulda stayed in the blind but I didn't, did I? I went into the woods and tried to help, almost died, and this is the thanks I get?"

"Merle, we just – "

"No, little brother!" Merle shouted, "Yer gonna listen to me for once. I nearly died out there; had to kill a bunch of Walkers and then forced to climb a tree like some scared pansy girl just to stay alive. Spent the night out there because little brother couldn't be bothered to come lookin' for old Merle. Save yer little woman and that's all that matters to ya huh Daryl? Didn't think about me once did ya? Too busy with yer bitch to wonder where yer brother was."

Daryl flushed, "It ain't like that Merle."

"No? Tell me little brother, did you even think to check on me or were you too busy makin' sure yer woman was okay?" Merle asked.

Daryl looked down at the bed.

"That's what I thought." Merle said softly.

There was a soft knock and Paul entered the cabin. He was carrying a thermos of soup and a bottle of pain killers.

"Get out little brother. Go back to yer bitch and leave me be." Merle said quietly.

"Merle, I – "

"Go on now. I don't wanna see yer face for a while. You too policeman; I've had enough of the both of ya."


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Ellie ran across the room and jumped into Amelia's lap.

"Oof! Ellie baby…you're getting to be such a big girl now." Amelia tickled her and Ellie giggled and squirmed on her lap. She slid off Amelia's lap and squished her small frame between Amelia and Hannah on the couch. She leaned her head on Hannah's arm and Hannah stroked her hair.

"Where's Jacob?"

"He's with Ethan in the cabin. He's in trouble 'cause he broke Carol's cup." Ellie said in a matter of fact tone. "I told him not to play with it but he didn't listen."

Hannah smiled, "Did you finish all of your dinner?"

Ellie nodded, "Yup. Amelia – can I stay with you tonight again?"

"Of course you can. But you need to ask Carol first."

"I will." Ellie frowned as Amelia stood up, "Where are you going?"

"I need to speak with Isaac before it gets dark. I'll be right back."

Ellie slid off the couch and took her hand, "I want to see Sara!" she said brightly.

Hannah stood up, "I'll walk with you. I think I'm going to retire early tonight. I'm pretty tired."

As the three of them headed to the door Amelia pretended not to notice the way Rick, helping Carl with some school work at the kitchen table, watched Hannah as she crossed the room.

"Zip your jacket up Ellie." Amelia chided gently as they walked out into the cold air. The little girl quickly did up her jacket and then took their hands. She walked cheerfully between them, humming softly to herself.

They stopped in front of Hannah's cabin. "Good night Hannah." Hannah leaned down so that Ellie could kiss her on the cheek. "Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite!"

"Yeah Hannah, don't let anything bite you in bed." Amelia grinned at her as Hannah blushed furiously.

She punched Amelia lightly on the arm, "See you tomorrow."

Amelia winked, "Have a good sleep."

She laughed to herself as Hannah, still blushing, climbed the steps to her cabin and disappeared inside. Amelia squeezed Ellie's hand. "C'mon honey, you can visit with Sara while I talk to Isaac."

They continued on to Isaac's cabin and climbed the steps. Amelia knocked on the door, frowning when Sara's usual holler to come in didn't happen. She knocked again.

"Maybe they're not in there." Ellie said.

"They should be. Julie took some dinner to Isaac and Sara followed her not long after that." Amelia replied.

She knocked for a third time and when there was still no answer, she tried the door knob. It opened and she swung the door open, "Julie? Sara?"

There was no answer and Amelia led Ellie into the cabin. It was chilly and dark and Amelia squinted at the figure lying on the small couch. "Sara?"

Still holding Ellie's hand, she moved quickly towards the couch. "Sara?" She dropped Ellie's hand and knelt beside the couch, placing her hand on Sara's shoulder. "Sara? Are you okay?" She shook the old woman gently; the old woman didn't respond and she could feel panic growing in her belly. She placed her fingers on the old woman's neck, breathing a sigh of relief at the faint pulse.

"Ellie honey – I need you to run to the lodge and get Hershel right now." The little girl didn't respond and Amelia turned to her. "Ellie – did you hear me?"

The little girl was white and her body was trembling as she stared straight ahead of her. She turned to Amelia, her eyes huge in the darkness. "Ellie what -?"

There was a low growling and Amelia looked up to see Isaac, his face grey and his eyes a cloudy yellow, standing nearly motionless in the doorway of his bedroom. He growled again as Amelia stood up and pushed Ellie behind her. She reached down and pulled the knife from her belt.

Cold chills went down her back as she considered her options. Isaac was closer to the door than her and Ellie and she wasn't entirely sure the little girl could run fast enough anyway. As Isaac started to limp towards them she opened her mouth and let loose with a bloodcurdling scream. Ellie flinched and gave her own shriek of surprise before beginning to sob. Amelia screamed repeatedly, hoping against hope that someone was outside of the main lodge, as Isaac snarled and ran towards them.

Still shrieking, Amelia shoved Ellie away from her and stepped to the middle of the room. As Isaac half-ran, half-stumbled closer, she waited until his cold hands were scraping across the front of her jacket and then dropped suddenly to her knees. She rolled to her side, kicking her legs out and tripping Isaac. He landed on the floor with a heavy thud, a roar of anger erupting from his throat. He saw Ellie and forgot about Amelia behind him. His growling turned into mewls of hunger and he reached for Ellie, his hands brushing against her tennis shoes.

Ellie screeched and staggered backwards, tripping over the small footstool beside the couch and falling on to her butt. She scrambled backwards as Amelia lunged forward on her hands and knees. She grabbed the back of Isaac's hair, he was in desperate need of a haircut she thought hysterically to herself, and with another loud scream she forced the large hunting knife through the top of Isaac's skull. The knife broke off at the handle as Isaac's head fell forward and his face hit the wooden floor with a wet smacking noise.

Breathing heavily, Amelia crawled to Ellie who wrapped her arms around her neck, sobbing pitifully.

"It's okay baby, shhh, it's okay." Amelia whispered hoarsely. She sat cross-legged on the floor and gathered Ellie onto her lap.

The little girl collapsed against her, crying and shaking. "Okay Ellie; we're alright honey. What do you say we get –" she stopped as Ellie suddenly stiffened in her arms.

"Julie?" the little girl whispered.

Amelia looked behind her slowly, feeling old and tired, to see Julie standing a couple of feet behind them.

"Oh Julie." She moaned softly. The gorgeous young woman was nearly unrecognizable. Her right arm had been eaten almost to the bone and Amelia could see tendons dangling like thin worms out of the torn flesh. The entire right side of her face was gone, the skin and meat eaten by Isaac. There was a gaping hole where her once warm, expressive brown eye had been and she stared unblinkingly at them with her remaining eye.

What was once Julie whimpered low in its throat and then leaped forward. Ellie screamed piercingly into Amelia's ear and Amelia shrank forward, huddling protectively over the young girl, knowing it was too late for both of them.

A shot rang out, both Ellie and Amelia flinched, and there was a loud crash as Julie's body fell forward on to the small rug in front of the couch. Carl was standing there, his young face pale and grim, a revolver held tightly in his hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked as Rick raced through the open door of the cabin.

"Carl? Carl!" he shouted.

"I'm okay dad." Carl reassured him as his father put both hands on his shoulders. He put the gun back in the holder on his belt.

"What happened?" Rick looked in shock at the bodies of Isaac and Julie, and at Amelia and Ellie huddled together on the floor.

Before Amelia could answer, T-Dog, Carol, and Glen entered the cabin.

"Ellie?!" Carol cried frantically.

Ellie wiggled free of Amelia, "Mama!"

Carol fell to her knees and Ellie barrelled her way past Carl and Rick and into Carol's arms. Carol hugged her tightly, kissing her small face over and over before she stood up and carried Ellie from the cabin.

Glen helped Amelia to her feet, "You okay?"

Amelia nodded, "Sara." She couldn't speak above a hoarse whisper. "There's something wrong with Sara."

Rick knelt beside the old woman and felt for her pulse. "Carl, run and get Hershel or Paul. Go on now. Glen, take Amelia to her cabin."

Carl turned and ran from the cabin as Glen led Amelia towards the door. As they walked outside and down the steps, Maggie joined them. She put her arm around Amelia and stared questioningly at Glen. He shook his head slightly at her and she nodded and squeezed Amelia tightly.

Amelia couldn't stop shaking and she had no idea where Daryl came from but he was suddenly in front of her, his face pale.

"Amelia, what happened? Are ya okay?" he pulled her from Maggie's embrace and cupped her shoulders in his hands.

She nodded, "I'm fine." She whispered. "I haven't been bitten but I think – I think I hurt my throat." She gave him a stark look of despair. "Julie and Isaac are dead. There's something wrong with Sara. I think she might have been bitten."

She started to cry and Daryl made a motion to pull her into his arms but she shook her head and stepped back. "Please don't."

A look of despair crossed his face but he nodded and stepped back. Maggie put her arm back around her and started to lead Amelia to her cabin. She looked back at Glen, "Honey, can you get Hannah for us?"

Glen nodded and ran towards Hannah's cabin. Daryl watched until Amelia and Maggie were in her cabin and then entered Isaac's cabin.


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87

"Is Sara okay? Did Isaac – was she bit?" Amelia whispered hoarsely.

She was sitting at the kitchen table of her small cabin, sandwiched between Maggie and Hannah. They had given her a cup of tea and wrapped her in a blanket. Amelia continued to shake, mostly a delayed reaction from her struggle with Isaac, and Hannah rubbed her back through the blanket.

Paul, who had just entered her cabin, stared at her gravely. "We're almost positive she wasn't bitten. Neither Hershel nor I found any bites or scratches on her. "

"Then what's wrong with her?" Maggie asked.

Paul sighed, "We're not sure. We think she may have had a heart attack and slipped into a coma. Her heartbeat is erratic and her breathing is shallow and –" he paused and blew his breath out in a harsh rush, "honestly, it's a bit of a guessing game. She could have had a stroke for all we know but we're leaning towards heart attack. Hershel placed an IV and we've looked through the meds we have. There isn't anything specifically to help after a heart attack; Rick is talking about making another supply run to that town you found."

"Will she live?" Hannah asked quietly.

Paul looked at her solemnly, "I don't know love. She's 80 something years old and we have limited medical supplies."

Hannah started to cry silently and Paul rounded the table to give her a one-armed hug. "Don't give up hope yet little bit. Sara's a tough old bird – she'll probably outlive the both of us."

Hannah nodded and wiped the tears from her face. Paul smiled at Amelia. "I'm here to look at your throat. Glen said you've hurt it."

Amelia shrugged, "I can't seem to speak above a whisper."

Paul was carrying a small green canvas bag and he sat it down on the table. He unzipped it and rummaged through it, producing a tongue dispenser and a small black pen light.

Maggie smiled a little, "Is that your version of a doctor's little black bag?"

Paul returned her smile, "Green goes better with my colouring."

He scooted Maggie and Hannah out of the way and stood in front of Amelia. "Okay duckie, I want you to open wide and say ahh."

Amelia did as he asked. Paul held her tongue down with the depressor and shone the light down her throat. "Again." He instructed.

Amelia did her best to say "ahh" as Paul squinted and shone the light on one side of her mouth and then the other.

He clicked the light off and snapped the depressor in two, chucking it into the garbage and smiling reassuringly at Amelia.

"Well, my best guess is that you screamed loudly enough to strain your vocal chords. I doubt they're permanently damaged but in order to get them to heal properly you'll need to rest your voice. No talking or whispering for at least 48 hours okay?"

Amelia nodded and Paul squeezed her shoulder. "There's one last thing my love. You need to be checked for bites and scratches."

Hannah frowned, "Amelia wasn't bitten; she already told us that."

Paul hesitated, "I know but we found scratches on Isaac's leg. He must have been scratched that day in the woods and hid it from us. Rick thinks from now on when anyone has an –" he paused, "encounter with a Walker, they have to report to Hershel or myself for a physical check."

"And if the person refuses?" Maggie said quietly.

Paul shrugged, "You'll have to take that up with Rick."

He smiled again at Amelia, "I checked over the little girl; what's her name again?"

"Ellie." Hannah answered.

"She doesn't have any bites or scratches but she does have a helluva bruise starting on her hip. She says she tripped and fell down when bad Isaac was trying to get her."

Amelia nodded and then looked questioningly at Paul.

"She's doing okay." He read her look perfectly. "She's scared and clinging to Carol like a little monkey but she's a kid – they bounce back. She said to give you a kiss and that she didn't know you could yell so loud."

Amelia smiled a little as Paul leaned against the counter. "Will you let me check you over?"

Amelia nodded and Maggie stood up, "I'm going to go back to Glen. Amelia, can I get you anything?"

Amelia shook her head and embraced Maggie before kissing her softly on the cheek. She mouthed "thank you" to the young brunette who squeezed her hands.

"I'll see y'all at dinner." She pulled her jacket on and left the cabin, closing the door quietly behind her.

Hannah smiled at Amelia, "I'll stay a little longer okay?"

Amelia nodded gratefully then turned to Paul and gave him the thumbs up.

"Good. I promise I'll be quick." Paul said.

"I really think we should look at the possibility of making another supply run to that town." Rick said as he and Daryl approached Amelia's cabin.

Daryl nodded and Rick continued, "We can look for some more specific drugs, maybe take Paul with us so he can pick out what he needs, and get some more canned goods." He scanned the darkening sky. "Sooner or later we're going to get a storm that makes the roads impassable for awhile."

He laughed bitterly, "I keep thinking to myself that it isn't a problem; that even if the roads are icy for a few days, the sand trucks will be along."

Daryl shrugged, "It's easy to forget that it ain't the same anymore."

Rick sighed, "Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to make one more run before the really bad weather sets in. I know we don't get much snow but do you remember the ice storm two years ago?"

"Ayuh; Merle and I were stuck in our damn house for two days, couldn't get the truck out of the goddamn driveway it was so icy."

Rick nodded as they climbed the steps to the small cabin, "Exactly. We need to make sure we have enough supplies before that happens. In fact, I kind of hope that does happen – a storm like that would have to do some damage to a lot of Walkers."

Daryl, without thinking, reached for the door of the cabin and opened it. He stepped inside as Rick followed him, "Another run is a good idea but I ain't lettin' Amelia go on this one and I doubt T-Dog will be too keen on lettin' Melissa go either. We should –" he paused, then let out a roar of anger and stormed across the room.

Amelia, wearing a bra and yoga pants, was standing in the kitchen, her back to them, and Paul was running his fingers over the bare curve of her spine. He was squinting at her flesh in the dim light of the candles and he was utterly unprepared when Daryl suddenly appeared beside him.

"Get the hell away from her ya son of a bitch!" Daryl snarled. He grabbed Paul by his shoulders and pulled him away from Amelia. His anger bubbled over and with another loud growl he punched Paul in the face. Paul skidded backwards, blood flying from his lip, and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

Dimly, Daryl could hear Amelia gasp and felt her fingers grasping for his arm. He shook her off angrily and squatted down, reaching for Paul. He grabbed his shirt and pulled the British man up towards his face. "Never touch her again. Do ya hear me?"

"Get away from me you asshole!" Paul spat at him. He punched Daryl in the side of the head, knocking him over.

Daryl shook his head; he was filled with sudden white hot rage and he lunged for Paul but Rick grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him backwards. He pushed Daryl to the floor and kneeled on his torso, "Enough!" he shouted at Daryl.

"Get offa me!" Daryl yelled. The anger was surging through his veins, his misery and anger over missing Amelia, the pain he had felt at her rejection when he had tried to comfort her, flowed through his body and he struggled against Rick furiously.

"Jesus Daryl – calm down!" Rick laboured to keep Daryl pinned down. The smaller man was thrashing beneath him like a wild animal.

Daryl grabbed Rick's leg and was about to heave the Sheriff off his body when Amelia dropped to her knees beside them. She placed one cool hand on his forehead and the other reached for his flailing hands. At her touch, he stopped struggling and looked at her.

She was staring at him, her brown eyes were dark with sorrow and pain and she shook her head at him before leaning down and brushing her lips across his mouth.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

She nodded and gave Rick a look of reproach. Hannah was standing behind them and she tugged gently on Rick's arm, "Let him up Rick."

Rick stood and backed away, putting one arm around Hannah and pulling her against him. Without letting go of Amelia's hand, Daryl stood up and pulled her further back from Paul. He looked down at her half-naked upper torso and took his jacket off, draping it around her shoulders before taking her hand again.

She rolled her eyes and scowled a little at him. She started to move towards Paul and Daryl squeezed her hand and drew her back, "I don't want him touching you."

She shook her head at him, frowning again and he gave her a look of exasperation, "What? Ya givin' me the silent treatment now?"

Amelia sighed and looked to Hannah for help as Paul stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Daryl – Paul's here because Amelia hurt her throat. She's strained her vocal chords and she has to stay quiet for the next few days so they'll heal." Hannah left Rick's side and went to Paul. She frowned at the cut on his lip.

"Are you okay?" she asked, touching the cut lightly as Paul winced.

"I'm fine – no thanks to that wanker." Paul grimaced at Daryl who glared back at him.

"Ya don't need to take her shirt off to look at her throat ya bastard! Ya best not be touchin' her again or I swear I'll rip yer arms from their sockets."

Daryl flinched when Amelia suddenly wacked him on the chest with the palm of her hand.

"He don't need to take yer shirt off." He repeated himself stubbornly.

"Daryl," Hannah said patiently, "Paul is checking Amelia for bites or scratches." She glanced at Rick, "Under Rick's specific orders anyone who comes in contact with Walkers needs to be looked over by Hershel or Paul."

"I'll go and get Hershel." Daryl said and Amelia rolled her eyes again and mouthed "stop it" at him.

He frowned at her, "Hershel can look at ya."

"He's with Sara at the moment." Paul said, "It's why I'm here with Amelia." He walked to the kitchen where he began to rinse his mouth.

"Let me know when you're ready Amelia." He said over his shoulder, winking at Daryl. Daryl's hands clenched into fists and he started forward. Amelia dug her heels in and yanked on his hand, stopping him.

She glanced helplessly at Rick who said quietly, "Daryl, let's wait outside on the porch until they're done and then we'll – "

"I ain't leavin'!" Daryl shouted at him.

"I'll stay here." Hannah said.

Daryl started to shake his head but Amelia gripped his face in her hands. She stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "Go." She mouthed at him and looked at the door pointedly.

"Amelia I – "

She gave him a stern look and held up her hand in a 'five minutes' gesture.

"C'mon Daryl, we'll wait outside. It's going to be dark soon; if you don't want Paul spending the night with Amelia you should let him finish checking her over." Rick said.

Daryl scowled again and went to the door. "Ya got five minutes." He said to Paul and slipped out on to the porch, Rick following closely behind him.

Amelia let Daryl's coat drop to the couch and went to the kitchen. She put her hand on Paul's shoulder and gave him a look of remorse. "Sorry." She mouthed at him.

He grinned at her, "No worries duckie. I'm hoping Aaron would defend my honour as vigorously as Daryl defends yours."

Amelia grinned at him and turned so he could continue to examine her back.


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Rick watched as Daryl paced anxiously back and forth.

"Has it been five minutes yet?" he asked.

Rick shook his head, "It hasn't even been 2 minutes. Daryl, calm down for a minute and listen to – "

"Don't tell me to calm down! He's in there with his hands on her." Daryl seethed.

"Paul's gay." Rick said quietly.

"He better not do nothin' to – wait, what?"

"Paul's gay." Rick repeated himself. "He and Aaron are partners."

Daryl stared at him and Rick chuckled when he visibly relaxed. "Ya sure?"

"I'm sure." Rick nodded. Although he was amused by Daryl's relief, he knew exactly how the man felt.

"Listen, I think we should make that supply run either tomorrow or the day after. We can use the other cars to drain more gas for the truck. We'll keep the group small, you, me, T-Dog maybe, and Paul. We'll go in, grab as many supplies as we can and get back to the camp. Hopefully Paul can find some meds that will help Sara."

"If she don't die before then." Daryl grunted.

Rick sighed, "I sure hope she doesn't; Hannah loves that woman and I'll admit – I'm pretty fond of her myself."

He looked thoughtfully at Daryl for a moment, "Maybe we should prepare to go tomorrow. The sooner we can get meds for Sara, the better."

Daryl nodded. There was a loud bang and they both looked across the clearing to see Merle falling out the open front door of his cabin and on to the porch. He cursed loudly and as he tried to worm his way to the wicker chair, Daryl started down the steps.

"Jesus Merle, what the hell are you trying to do? Get back in bed." Rick could hear him saying as he jogged across the clearing.

The door opened and Paul and Hannah came out. "I'm finished." Paul said, "She doesn't have any bites or scratches."

"Where's Daryl?" Hannah frowned.

Rick pointed to Merle's cabin where Daryl had succeeded in getting Merle to his feet and was helping him into their cabin. The door swung shut behind them and Rick turned back to Paul and Hannah. It was nearly dark now; no lights shone in the main lodge and each small cabin had their shutters closed and their doors locked.

"You should get back to your cabin Paul." Rick shook the man's hand. "Thank you for everything."

"What about Sara?" Hannah asked.

"Hershel and Beth are staying with her tonight." Paul replied. He sauntered down the steps and waved, "Good night mates. See you in the morning." Whistling softly he walked quickly to the cabin he shared with Aaron.

"C'mon Hannah, I'll walk you to your cabin." Rick took her hand in his but she shook her head and pulled free.

"If Daryl is staying with his brother tonight then I should stay with Amelia."

She turned at the soft poke in her back. Unbeknownst to either of them, Amelia had joined them on the porch. She shook her head and frowned at Hannah. "I'm fine." She mouthed.

She looked at Rick and then took his and Hannah's hand and linked them together. "Go." She mouthed and pushed them both lightly on the back.

"Amelia, I can stay with you." Hannah protested but Amelia shook her head firmly. She shooed them down the steps with a small smile, then winked at Rick and blew a kiss to Hannah. She shut the door to her cabin and Rick glanced around uneasily.

"Let's go Hannah – stay close." They walked to Hannah's cabin. Rick helped her secure the shutters down before she opened the door and slipped inside.

She paused and looked at him, "Um, thanks Rick for walking me home." Good God, she thought to herself, she sounded like a teenager.

"You're welcome." Rick smiled at her and leaned against the door jamb.

"Well, I guess this is good night." She returned his smile, ignoring the way her knees went weak at the slow deliberate look he was giving her.

"Guess so." His eyes flickered downwards, stopping at her small breasts and she could feel her nipples responding to his gaze.

"Stop that." She whispered.

"Stop what?"

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" he smiled wolfishly at her.

"Like you want to do naughty things to me." She muttered.

"Didn't know you were a mind reader Hannah." He drawled. He reached out and pulled the zipper of her jacket down, just enough so he could trace his finger along her collarbone.

Hannah's pulse sped up at his light touch. "Not a good idea Rick." She warned.

He shrugged almost lazily, "I think it's a good idea. You thought it was a good idea last night."

She flushed, "That was a one night only kind of deal."

"You didn't mention that." He complained. "If I had known it was just last night I wouldn't have wasted all that time sleeping. There are things I could have been doing to you."

"What kind of things?" her voice came out in a squeaky whisper and Rick grinned.

He glanced behind him; it was completely dark now and there was no sign of movement in the camp. He stepped forward, slipping one arm around Hannah's waist and bending his head to her ear.

He whispered into her ear for a moment or two. Hannah moaned, her face turned red and her hands reached up to clutch at his arms.

"Sounds like you might enjoy that." He winked at her.

He glanced around again, "Your diabolical plan to keep me on your doorstep worked. It's now officially too dark for me to go to my own cabin. Guess I'll have to spend the night."

She tried to protest as he pushed his way in and shut the door firmly behind him, but the words he had whispered in her ear had made her brain temporarily short circuit.

He took his jacket off and then reached out and unzipped her coat completely, pushing it from her body before leaning down to place a path of soft, warm kisses on her neck. She moaned when his lips found her throbbing pulse and he ran his tongue over the small patch of skin.

"The couch is right there." She gasped as he snaked his arm around her and pulled her up tight against him.

"Great idea." He whispered, "We haven't had sex on the couch yet."

He lifted her up and carried her towards the couch, "That isn't what I meant." She groaned softly as he leaned down and nibbled on her mouth.

"Really?" he murmured. He sat down on the couch, arranging her on his lap until she was straddling him. He pulled her head down and kissed her firmly, smiling when she opened her mouth so he could slip his tongue between her lips.

He kissed her softly and tenderly but Hannah could feel the underlying hunger and urgency and her body responded to it. He groaned when she pressed her pelvis against his erection and he cupped her breast in his hand.

"Do you remember that day in the truck?" he whispered in her ear. She nodded and began to unbutton his shirt.

"You were sleeping against me, straddling me just like this, and as you started to wake up you were kissing my neck."

Hannah flushed with embarrassment at the memory. "I never apologized for that." She muttered.

He shook his head, "You had to spend the last half hour of the truck ride, feeling exactly how much I wanted you. I should have been embarrassed but I wasn't. I was too busy wishing we were alone. If we had been I would have pulled the damn truck over and taken you right then and there."

Hannah gasped softly and pulled at his shirt. He leaned forward so she could help him ease out of it and then pulled the white t-shirt he was wearing underneath it off. She threaded her fingers through the hair on his chest and smiled at him.

"I like you Rick." She leaned down so he could kiss her neck.

He flicked his tongue lightly against her skin, "I like you too Hannah." He murmured. As he wrapped his arms around her and kissed his way to her mouth, Hannah ignored the guilt in her belly.

"Just once more." She thought to herself. "One more night of memories and then I'll end it."


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Daryl watched as Merle spooned soup clumsily into his mouth. He looked down at his own bowl of untouched soup before standing to add more wood to the cook stove and light a few more candles.

Merle pushed the empty bowl of soup away, wiping his mouth with his shirt sleeve, before sitting back in his chair. His broken ankle was propped up on the third kitchen chair and he winced a little as he shifted.

"How ya feelin'?" Daryl asked.

"How the fuck do you think I feel? Goddamn foot hurts." Merle said pettishly.

Daryl carefully shook out one of the three prescription pain relief pills Hershel had left with them. "Here. Hershel said ya could take one of these."

Merle swallowed the pill with a swig of water. "If ya hadn't given all my fuckin' drugs away I could be sittin' here without any pain, ya stupid pansy."

Daryl ignored the name calling. He glanced restlessly at the door. It was full dark out now; he had missed his chance to talk to Amelia.

Merle followed his gaze. "Go back to yer bitch Darylina; I ain't got no need for ya here."

"Shut up Merle." Daryl picked up the bowls, dumped the contents of his in the garbage, and then put them in the sink. He added some dish soap and poured some of the water in the bucket on the counter, into the sink. He began to wash the dishes in the ice cold water as Merle pulled a pack of cigarettes from a pocket in his vest and lit it.

"Jus' like ole' times ain't it?" he blew smoke towards the ceiling. Daryl grunted in reply.

"You an' me livin' together. You doin' the cookin' and cleanin' – yer the best wife I ever had little brother." Merle laughed uproariously at his own joke.

As Merle smoked, Daryl finished washing and drying the dishes and stacked them neatly in one of the cupboards. He sat down as Merle dropped the cigarette butt into his half empty glass of water. The cigarette made a small sizzling sound and the last puff of smoke curled up towards the ceiling.

"What happened out there Merle?" Daryl asked.

"This an interrogation?" Merle replied. "Ya been hangin' around yer cop buddy too long?"

"No, it ain't. But I want to know what happened. Start from the beginnin'."

Merle sighed, "There ain't much to tell. Me an' Frank were drinkin' and shootin' the shit while we kept an eye on yer little bitch and her friends headin' to the lake. We saw the herd of Walkers comin' for 'em and I told Frank to radio the others."

"Frank wasn't passed out? Or too drunk to radio?"

"No, he wasn't." Merle said firmly. "I climbed down to help and didn't get 10 feet in 'fore a herd fell on me. I had 5 of those bastards chasin' me down. I killed two of 'em and then I ran. I climbed a tree and that's where I sat for the next 12 hours while you rescued yer woman and the others. As I was climbin' out of the tree the next morning, I slipped and fell. Landed badly on my foot, knew it was broken 'cause I heard the crack."

Daryl frowned, "You didn't see Amelia being attacked by the Walker? Tell me the truth Merle."

Merle rolled his eyes, "How many times ya gonna ask the same question Daryl? No, I didn't see yer precious Amelia." He said her name with a smarmy kind of sarcasm that made Daryl want to punch him.

"Why would she say that you did then?" Daryl cocked his head at Merle.

"How the hell would I know? Though if I had to guess I'd say it's because she hates me."

"Can ya blame her?" Daryl said more harshly then he had intended.

"I ain't gonna lie Daryl, I ain't never seen you not trust me before and I don't like it one bit. Finally find ya again only to see ya all chummy with the man who chained me to a roof and left me to die."

Daryl flushed and looked down at the table as Merle continued, "All the things I did for ya when ya was a kid and this is how you repay me? Daddy told us that family was all that mattered but seems to me you've already forgotten that."

"Ayuh – good advice coming from the same man who beat you black and blue on a regular basis and scarred me fer life." Daryl said bitterly.

Merle shrugged, "You remember when we was kids Daryl? How daddy used to go after you somethin' fierce and I would hide ya in the back shed."

Daryl nodded.

"You was just a little snot back then and ya used to cry and run to me when daddy got at ya. You remember?"

Daryl nodded again.

"I always looked out for ya din'nt I? Hid ya from daddy, took some of yer beatings, made sure ya had food in yer belly when daddy was out whorin'. I ain't sayin' I was perfect but I did right by ya."

"What's yer point Merle?"

"My point is that we're family and we look out fer each other. At least we used to. It's changed since ya met yer little woman and yer sheriff buddy ain't it?"

"No, it ain't changed. I still got yer back Merle and ya know it."

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't." Merle shifted in his chair before lighting another cigarette. He inhaled deeply and blew the smoke out, staring shrewdly at Daryl through the haze of smoke.

"She and that policeman have gotten into yer head. They've been makin' ya think yer just like 'em, that ya can fit in with them." He poked his fingers at Daryl, the cigarette burning steadily between them.

"Ya ain't Daryl. Ya ain't ever gonna be like 'em and ya best not forget that. They'll keep ya around fer a little longer; yer useful for hunting and killing the damn dead. Hell that woman of yers will even open her legs for ya on a right regular basis for a while but trust me little brother, sooner or later they ain't gonna have any more use for ya. Yer just an ignorant redneck to them, yer like their pet dog, and the minute yer usefulness is over they'll take ya out back and shoot ya in the head."

"They ain't like that Merle." Daryl said but there was a hint of doubt in his voice.

Merle inhaled on his cigarette, "Maybe yer right little brother. Maybe I don't have a clue what I'm talking' about. But don't ferget that yer little woman was fuckin' that darkie behind yer back and she lied about seein' me in the woods. What else do ya think she's lying to ya about?"

When Daryl didn't reply, Merle stared steadily at him. "I ain't got nothin' against yer woman other than that she's playin' ya for a fool. There ain't nobody in this world who cares more fer you than me little brother. Ya best remember that when yer leavin' me to spend time with yer new friends."

He dropped his second cigarette into the glass of water and started to stand. "Help me to bed Daryl. I'm tired."

Amelia curled into a small ball in the middle of her cold bed and stared miserably at the wall. She couldn't deny that she had hoped desperately that Daryl would break the curfew and return to her. When the minutes had turned into an hour she had blew all of the candles out but one and pulled the rocking chair over to the cook stove. She had rocked beside the stove for a few hours, thinking about Daryl, about Isaac and Julie. She thought she would cry but she had remained dry eyed, staring off into the darkness of the cabin as the candle burned steadily down.

Finally, when the candle was just a small blob of wax with a sputtering flame she had blown it out and undressed in the darkness before climbing into bed.

Her thoughts turned to Merle and she grimaced. She had been terrified and in shock from Michael's death but she knew she had seen Merle's face staring grimly out from the bushes. Isaac and Michael's deaths meant that there was no one to help her convince Daryl that his brother was lying to him. She sighed and flipped on to her back. She stared sightlessly at the ceiling, missing Daryl so much it was like a physical ache in her belly.

Daryl tossed and turned in the bed. He had been bone tired and had gone to bed shortly after helping Merle to his room but despite his weariness he couldn't sleep. His brain wouldn't shut down; it mulled constantly over what Merle was telling him and what Amelia was telling him. He sighed and flipped on to his back, staring up at the ceiling. He missed Amelia so much it made his stomach hurt.


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Daryl scanned the living room of the main lodge. It was just after breakfast; Sara had survived the night but still hadn't woken and Rick had announced their decision to go back to the small town for both supplies and meds. After a brief discussion, it had been decided that Rick, Daryl, Glen, Paul and Tonya would make the trip into town that morning while the others dug graves for Isaac and Julie.

Hannah and Amelia had sat together at the breakfast table and Daryl had watched as, along with quite a few others at the table, Hannah had started to cry at the mention of more graves. Amelia had slid her arm around her and squeezed her tightly but she had remained dry-eyed. As Rick gave the others a moment to compose themselves, she had stared silently at the far wall, a cold type of distance in her face that Daryl hadn't liked seeing.

Since Michael's death she had slowly been changing and staring furtively at her across the kitchen table as she comforted a weeping Hannah, Daryl had realized that the kind and sweet Amelia he had fallen in love with was disappearing. That moment in the cabin, when he had chosen Merle's word over hers, had been the moment she started to distance herself from him. He thought it had been just him she was cool towards but this morning he had realized with a cold sort of dismay that she was distancing herself from everyone in the group.

Now, spotting Hannah sitting with Maggie, he approached her, "Ya seen Amelia?" he asked gruffly.

She gave him a smile. She looked tired and pale this morning; the sutures on her forehead stood out clearly on her white skin.

"She said she was going back to her cabin for a bit."

He nodded his thanks and left the lodge.

Maggie stared thoughtfully after him, "I've never seen two people more miserable without each other."

"I know." Hannah agreed softly.

The door of the lodge opened and Rick slipped into the room. He looked around the room until he saw Hannah. He gave her a barely perceptible nod before he crossed the room to where Carl was sitting with Lori. He squatted in front of the boy, smiling at him as he spoke. Hannah could feel a smile on her lips at the look of warmth and love Rick was giving Carl.

"He's pretty good looking huh?" Maggie's voice in her ear brought her back to reality and Hannah gave her a startled look.

"Um, who?"

Maggie grinned, "Yeah, nice try Hannah. You can't keep your eyes off our fearless leader over there."

Hannah blushed deeply, "You're imagining things Maggie."

"Well if I am, then so is Glen, Carol, and Ethan." She ticked off the names on her fingers.

At Hannah's look of dismay, Maggie frowned. "I'm sorry Hannah. Sometimes I tease too much. I know nothing's going on with you and Rick, but there isn't anything wrong with having a crush on him. He's a good guy."

Hannah tried to smile convincingly, "I don't have a crush on Rick. I just – " she paused as inspiration struck, "I love watching him with Carl. I love kids but I can't have children of my own. When I see parents who obviously love their children, well – it makes me happy. I can't help but stare."

"I'm sorry Hannah." Maggie said solemnly. "When did you find out you couldn't have children?"

Hannah sighed inwardly with relief. Although she wasn't fond of talking about her inability to have children, the topic had distracted Maggie just like she had hoped it would.

* * *

><p>Rick tried to concentrate on Carl; it wasn't easy. He was finding it increasingly difficult to not touch or talk to Hannah in a way that would alert the others to their relationship. She was anxious to keep it a secret and despite the ending of his marriage, he wasn't too thrilled at the idea of Lori finding out either. Still, he wasn't sure how much longer he could continue sneaking to her cabin at night before someone found out. He frowned a little; Hannah had woke him several times in the night to make love and he had a sneaking suspicion that she was considering it their final night together. He felt a brief tightening of panic in his belly at the idea that he would never touch her again, that she might find someone else to warm her bed. The thought of someone else touching Hannah made him –<p>

"Dad? Hello dad..." Carl interrupted his thoughts.

"Sorry Carl. What were you saying?"

"I said I want to go with you this time." Carl smiled at him and Rick could see Lori tensing beside him.

He shook his head, "No Carl."

Carl frowned, "I'm old enough. I saved Amelia and Ellie didn't I?"

Rick smiled, "You did. That's why I need you to stay here." He glanced at Lori, "I need you to protect your mom and the others."

Carl nodded solemnly. "I will dad."

"I know you will." He squeezed Carl's knee briefly and then looked up at Lori. "Do you need anything specific for the baby?"

"I'll make you a list." Lori replied.

He nodded and stood up; he looked for Hannah, confirmed she was still sitting on the couch with Maggie and moved towards Paul in the kitchen. He didn't notice the cool, appraising look Lori gave him as he walked away.

* * *

><p>"Hey." Daryl said curtly. He climbed the steps of the porch and sat down in the wicker chair next to Amelia's.<p>

She was wrapped in a blanket, a steaming mug of tea sat on the small table beside her and she had a book and a pad of paper in her lap. Amelia nodded to him and took a small sip of tea, wincing as she swallowed the warm liquid.

"How's yer throat?"

She shrugged.

"Better than yesterday?"

She gave him the thumbs-up sign. He nodded and cleared his throat, "We're leaving in about half an hour."

She scribbled on her pad of paper and then held it up for him to see. "BE CAREFUL."

He nodded, "Ayuh."

She frowned, but let it go.

He cracked his knuckles nervously and stared at the porch floor beneath his feet. "I wanted to talk to ya before I go and I know it ain't fair – you not bein' able to talk and all - but I need ya to just listen to me okay?"

He looked up at her. She was staring at him but he couldn't read the look in her eyes at all. He held his breath, sure she would simply stand and leave but finally she nodded briefly and looked down at her lap.

He cleared his throat again. He had been so sure she wouldn't listen to him that now he had no idea how to start. She was waiting patiently and he took a deep breath.

"I know ya don't understand why I trust Merle so much and I don't blame ya but the thing is – Merle ain't never lied to me. He's always looked out for me. When we was kids my dad, he hated me. I mean hated me. He used to beat me and hurt me and try to make me cry." He swallowed thickly.

From the corner of his eye he saw Amelia reach her hand out. He continued to stare at the floor but reached out and gripped her hand with his own, linking their fingers together and taking comfort from her touch.

"When dad was drunk or was really goin' at me, Merle would hide me or take a beatin' for me. If it hadn't been for Merle, my dad would have killed me sooner or later. As it was, when Merle went to juvie, dad beat me so bad I was in the hospital for nearly 3 weeks."

Amelia squeezed his hand but he didn't look up, "Dad died and I ain't never been so happy to see a man bein' put in the ground as I was him. After that, it was just Merle and me, and Merle might be no prince but he sure as hell didn't try to kill me."

"We've been through a lot, me and him. I know he ain't much of a man and he can be a real prick but he's the only family I got Amelia. Fer the longest time, he was the only person who gave two shits about me, the only one who" he paused, "loved me."

She tugged on his hand until he looked at her. She dropped his hand and wrote on the pad of paper, "WE'RE FAMILY. I LOVE YOU."

He nodded, "I know. Which is why I needed to talk to ya; I want ya to understand why I can't turn my back on Merle. Ya say he's lyin' about Michael and he says yer lyin' 'bout Michael but the thing is – I don't care. I want to keep my brother in my life and I want to be with ya Amelia."

She showed him her pad of paper, "HE WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN."

He shook his head, "Yer wrong."

She was staring at him with an odd mixture of exasperation and grief and she scribbled quickly for a moment. "YOU STILL BELIEVE HIS LIES."

"Try to see it from my point of view Amelia. I've known Merle my whole life and he ain't ever kept the truth from me. I've known ya what – 3 months? You was close with Michael, anyone could see that. He was in love with ya. And it ain't just Merle that saw ya remember?"

She just looked at him and shrugged dejectedly.

Frustrated, he reached for her hand again, "This ain't goin' right. Listen, I didn't come here to bring up this shit. I love ya but it's hard for me to just blindly trust someone okay? And I needed - I wanted ya to know why Merle is so important to me and you understand that now don't ya?"

She nodded gravely.

"And ya understand why I can't just walk away from him don't ya? Ya understand that he's my family and family looks out fer each other, no matter what."

She nodded again.

"Then we can be together." He said eagerly. "We can forget about what happened and just start fresh. What happened before - it don't matter."

She showed him the pad of paper, ''IT DOES MATTER."

"No it don't!" he said forcefully, "I don't care what happened with Michael and I'll make sure Merle knows it. What does it matter if I believe ya or not? I love ya Amelia, isn't that enough?"

She stared sorrowfully at him and shook her head no.

His desperation turned to anger and he slammed his fist hard enough on the table to knock her mug of tea over. The mug fell to the floor of the porch, shattering into pieces, as he stood up and stared at her furiously. "Fine then ya dumb bitch! I ain't gonna keep beggin' like some dog. Just stay away from me and don't be expectin' me to save yer stupid life no more."

He punched the railing of the porch making Amelia flinch, and then stomped down the stairs and across the clearing, disappearing into the cabin he shared with Merle.


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91

"You two almost done in there?" Rick asked Daryl.

The redneck nodded. He had been quiet and sullen for the whole trip. Rick felt sorry for Tonya, who had been partnered with him to gather more canned food and dry goods from the grocery store, but she hadn't seemed to mind. She didn't speak much herself and Rick reflected that it had probably been a wise choice to put Daryl with her rather than the chattier Glen.

"We've got a few more cases of canned stuff to carry out and that should do it." The soft-spoken brunette said. She and Daryl disappeared into the grocery store once more.

Rick watched as Glen and Paul came out of the pharmacy. They were carrying bags of medical supplies and the lean Brit was nearly skipping with glee. "It's like Christmas in there."

Rick grinned a little as the two men loaded the bags into the back of the truck. "Did you find some stuff that will help Sara?"

Paul nodded, "If she's had a heart attack then yeah, there's meds that could help."

Rick, still standing in the back of the truck, scanned the area constantly as Paul nestled the last bag between the crutches and cane they had picked up for Merle.

"Do we need any more clothing?" Glen asked as he hopped into the bed of the truck.

Rick shook his head, "Nah, think we're good for that." His breath plumed out like little clouds of smoke. "How much gas did we get?"

Glen shrugged, "There aren't that many cars around here." He glanced at the nearly empty street. "But we did get some from the cars behind the grocery store."

He pushed the four large jerry cans more firmly into the corner of the truck bed. "It'll be enough to get us back to town at least once more if we need to."

Paul looked around the deserted street, "Where are Tonya and Daryl?"

Daryl nodded in the direction of the grocery store. "Getting one last load of food."

From her spot at the end of the aisle, Tonya watched as Daryl heaved another flat of canned spaghetti sauce on top of the other three flats. He had stripped off his jacket and he was wearing a sleeveless shirt under it. She admired the way his biceps flexed and rippled. His pants were a little too big and she smiled as he hitched his pants up before turning towards her.

He frowned at her smile and scratched his jaw self-consciously. "Ya ready?"

She nodded and picked up the two grocery bags she had filled with cans of tuna and chicken. With a grunt of effort Daryl picked up the four flats and started to walk towards the front door. As Tonya followed him, there was the sound of a jar breaking on the floor in the aisle to the left of her. Tonya turned to see a Walker, half of its face eaten away, standing motionless staring at her. Before she could drop the grocery bags and reach for her bow, it lunged towards her, its lips peeling away from its moss-coloured teeth as it moaned with hunger.

It reached for her and Tonya staggered back. She tripped over the end cap of the aisle, twisting her ankle as she tumbled back on to her ass. There was a soft whispering noise and an arrow buried itself through the side of the Walker's head. With a small groan the Walker fell forward, hitting the floor of the store with a wet thunk.

Daryl stood in front of her, his crossbow in one hand and scanned the grocery store.

"Where the hell did that come from?" she whispered as he took her hand and pulled her roughly to her feet. She put her foot down and winced at the bolt of pain that went through her foot and up into her shin.

Daryl looked at her, "Is it broken?"

She shook her head, "No. I think I just twisted it."

"Can ya walk?"

She nodded, "I think so."

Daryl watched as she tried to put weight on her foot again, her face blanching.

He sighed irritably, "Ya can't walk on it. Here." He held his arm out.

"I'm fine." She scowled at him, "I don't need –"

She stopped as there was a soft moaning behind her. They looked behind them to see five Walkers heading down the aisle towards them.

"Shit!" Tonya cried.

"Move!" Daryl roared. He slipped his free arm around her waist and dragged her towards the front door. Tonya cried out with pain as she tried to keep up with him, her foot shrieking at her with every step she took.

"Faster goddammit!" he snarled, looking behind them. Tonya gritted her teeth and hobbled faster. She could feel Daryl's hand digging into her hip and another hand, this one cold as ice, hooking into the bow on her back. With a harsh gasp, Daryl yanked her forward; she felt the hand on her bow slipping free as they reached the large glass front doors. They burst through them and the others looked up in surprise from their spot near the truck.

Daryl ran faster, pulling Tonya with him and ignoring her small grunts of pain. Rick and Glen jumped from the bed of the truck. "Get down!" Rick shouted and Daryl threw himself to the left. He landed on his back, pulling Tonya down with him and grunting loudly as she fell on top of him. She flinched and covered her ears as gun shots rang out.

Tonya's ears were ringing and she had her face buried in Daryl's chest. Hands touched her shoulders and back and she let out a soft gasp, twisting and reaching behind her for her bow.

"Woah, stop. It's just us." Glen stepped back as Paul squatted down.

"Tonya love. It's okay. You're okay." He soothed. He helped her stand up and gave her a hug as she balanced on one foot.

She was gasping loudly, her heart beating so hard in her chest she was sure Paul could see it through her shirt.

"Are you hurt?" Paul asked.

"My foot - twisted the ankle." Tonya panted.

He nodded, "Okay, let's get back to the camp. I'll take a look at it there okay?"

She nodded and smiled gratefully at Paul as he put his arm around her waist. Glen supported her on the other side and together they helped her to the truck as Rick helped Daryl off the ground.

"Where'd they come from?" Rick muttered.

Daryl shrugged, "No idea. We did a sweep of the store when we first got here and it was clean. Looked up, and there they were."

"They must have come in from the back of the store." Rick frowned and glanced uneasily around the quiet street.

"Let's go. Our luck with this place is starting to wear thin I think."

* * *

><p>"How's your throat?" Maggie smiled at Amelia as she plunked down next to her on the couch.<p>

Amelia smiled and gave her the thumbs up. She flipped to a clean page on her pad of paper and wrote "BETTER."

"Good." Maggie pulled at her jeans restlessly and looked around the room.

Amelia nudged her and held up her pad of paper, "THEY'LL BE FINE. WILL BE BACK SOON."

Maggie smiled, "Yeah. I just – worry, you know?"

Amelia nodded as Hannah joined them. "I just talked to Hershel; Sara seems to be improving a little bit. She isn't awake yet but he says her heartbeat is steadier and she squeezed his hand once when he asked her to."

Amelia clapped her hands softly and gave Hannah a large grin.

Maggie stood up as the main door of the lodge opened and Merle, supported between Aaron and Scott, hopped into the room.

"That's wonderful news! I'm going to tell Carol and Ethan." She headed towards the kitchen as Aaron and Scott deposited Merle into the armchair across from Amelia and Hannah.

"Hello ladies." Merle gave them a broad grin.

Amelia stared at him impassively as Hannah nodded, "Merle."

"Beautiful day out ain't it?"

When neither of them answered, Merle glanced around the room. With the exception of T-Dog and Melissa who were on watch, and the group that had left for town, everyone was in the main lodge.

"They ain't back yet?" Merle asked.

Hannah shook her head and Merle smiled at her.

"You know Hannah; I could use a sponge bath. What do ya say ya come back to my cabin later and help me out?" He looked her over slowly.

Hannah ignored him as Amelia scribbled on her pad, gestured in Merle's direction and then showed the pad to her. Hannah snickered and Amelia winked at her.

"Something funny ya'd like to share?" Merle asked testily.

Amelia shook her head no, grinning a little.

"Maybe ya'd like to help me then. Yer a little fat for my liking but it won't be the first time I've had my brother's sloppy seconds." Merle sneered at her.

Amelia stood up, her face red with anger, and Hannah jumped off the couch. "C'mon Amelia, let's get away from this asshole."

As they started to walk away, Merle said loudly, "Whatsa matter Hannah? Now that yer fuckin' the sherriff, ol' Merle just ain't good enough for ya?"

Hannah's face turned white and she stopped dead in her tracks as the others in the lodge turned towards them.

Lori, sitting at the table with Carl, stood up and walked slowly towards them. "What did you just say?" she whispered.

"Oops." Merle put his hand to his mouth and giggled like a demented child, "I'm sorry – was that supposed to be a secret?"

Amelia turned and lunged for him, her hands closing into fists but Aaron was behind them and he caught her around the waist and pulled her away. "He isn't worth it Amelia." He said in his soft, baritone voice.

Lori stood in front of Hannah, her face pale and one hand resting on her growing belly. "Are you sleeping with my husband Hannah?"

Hannah swallowed. "Lori, you should sit down. I can explain – "

"Are you having sex with my husband?" Lori said slowly and deliberately.

Hannah looked around nervously. The rest of the group had clustered around them and were staring at her curiously.

Her face burning with shame, Hannah nodded. "Yes. Lori I'm sorry, I didn't mean to –"

There was a loud crack as Lori slapped Hannah across the face. Hannah stumbled and nearly fell as Amelia wrenched free of Aaron and hurried to Hannah's side. She put her arm around Hannah and touched the red mark on Hannah's cheek lightly.

"Are you okay?" she whispered hoarsely.

Hannah nodded. She looked at Lori. Carol had put her arms around her and she was pale and trembling in the circle of Carol's arms.

"I'm so sorry Lori." Hannah whispered.

Lori laughed bitterly. "You're sorry? Sorry you're sleeping with my husband or sorry that you got caught?"

"I –"

Lori stared furiously at her, "Stay away from me, stay away from my son, and stay away from my husband. Do you understand me?"

Hannah nodded miserably. Lori gave her one final glare before allowing Carol to lead her away.

"C'mon honey." Amelia whispered, "Come with me." She led a silent, shaking Hannah towards the door. As they passed Merle still sitting in the armchair, he winked at her.

Amelia had never felt such blind hatred for another human being in her entire life. The rage filled her with a brilliant white hot light and it was all she could do to not launch herself at him and rip his throat out with her bare hands. She led the quietly weeping Hannah away from his ugly, sneering face and out of the lodge.


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92

"Honey, do you want to talk about it?" Amelia whispered to Hannah. They were sitting on the love seat in Hannah's cabin.

Hannah shook her head, her face desolate, "There's nothing to talk about. I slept with a married man and his wife found out." She let out a bitter snort of laughter, "As well as his young son and the rest of our merry band of survivors. Now everyone knows I'm a slut."

Amelia grabbed her shoulders and shook her firmly, "Stop it right now. You're not a slut and if you say you are again I'll smack you into next week." Her voice was hoarse and she winced as she cleared her throat. "Rick and Lori's marriage is over."

"Stop talking." Hannah scolded her. "You're supposed to stay quiet until tomorrow remember?"

Amelia gave her a look of frustration and Hannah shook her head, "I mean it Amelia. I don't want to talk about it anyway. I should have stayed away from Rick and we both know it. I've learned my lesson."

She stood up, "I don't mean to be rude but would you mind leaving? I'm very tired and I'd like to be alone for a while."

Amelia arched her eyebrows at her and then frowned.

Hannah shook her head, "I'm fine Amelia. Stop worrying. I just want to lie down. I have a headache and I feel sick to my stomach."

Amelia nodded and stood. She stooped a little and kissed Hannah's cheek gently. It was still red from where Lori had slapped her. "I'll be back in a few hours." She mouthed carefully.

Hannah nodded, "That's fine. I'll see you then."

Amelia left, closing the door gently behind her and Hannah moved to her bed. She collapsed face-first on to the bed, burying her face in one of the pillows. She inhaled deeply; it smelled of Rick and she burst into loud, wracking sobs.

* * *

><p>Rick breathed a sigh of relief when they entered the camp. He shut the truck off and slid out as the door of the lodge opened and Ethan and Aaron walked out into the cold air.<p>

"Hey." Rick said softly as the others filed out behind them. He automatically scanned the group for Hannah, frowning a little when he didn't see her with the others, as Paul helped Tonya out of the truck.

"I'm good." She said, leaning against the side of the truck as Aaron embraced Paul and kissed him.

"Hi. Everything go okay?" He asked, running his hand through Paul's hair.

Paul smiled at him, "Hello my love. Tonya and Daryl had a bit of a scare but we made out okay."

Aaron looked at Tonya, leaning against the truck with her one foot held up. "What happened? Tonya, are you hurt?"

She shrugged, "Ran into some Walkers in the grocery store. Fell and twisted my ankle – I'll live." She paused as Daryl pushed his way past her, carrying four flats of canned goods. "Thanks to him."

"Help me get her into her cabin would you love?" Paul said to Aaron. "I want to take a better look at her ankle."

Tonya shook her head, "Take the meds to Sara first. I'll be fine for a bit longer. I'll put my foot up and put a cool cloth on it."

Paul hesitated and Aaron squeezed his hand, "Go on Paul, I'll help Tonya back to her cabin."

Paul nodded and after rummaging through a few of the bags of medical supplies, pulled out some small vials of liquid and some needles and headed to Sara's cabin.

Maggie embraced Glen and he gave her a boyish grin before kissing her loudly on the lips. "Miss me?"

"You know I did." She answered. He handed her a large bag that was filled with bags of rice, and then grabbed his own bag of food. They walked hand-in-hand towards the lodge.

Ethan stood in front of Rick, "Can we talk?"

Rick nodded, "Sure." He looked around and then lowered his voice, "Did the graves get dug for Isaac and Julie?"

Ethan nodded solemnly. "Yes. We've buried them already but we waited for y'all to come back to have the service."

"Okay. We'll unload the truck and then do the service for them." He lifted a flat of canned mushrooms out of the bed of the truck and started towards the lodge as Ethan trailed after him. "Have you seen Carl?"

Ethan nodded. "He's with Lori in their cabin. Rick, wait up a minute. Come over here." He led Rick a few feet away from the others.

Rick stared at him curiously, "What is it Ethan?"

Ethan hesitated, "Carol asked me to talk to you as soon as you got back. There was, well, there was a bit of an incident with Hannah."

Rick couldn't hide the look of panic on his face, "Is she hurt?" He looked towards her cabin but the shutters were closed.

Ethan shook his head, "No, nothing like that. She's fine. About an hour ago we were all in the lodge and Merle, well he," Ethan paused, his face reddening a bit, "he said something about you and Hannah sleeping together."

Rick stared at him, feeling his own face growing red as Ethan continued, "He said it pretty loudly and uh, well we all heard him. Including Lori."

Rick's stomach dropped. He hadn't wanted Lori to know but if she was going to find out it should have been from him.

"Things got pretty heated." Ethan looked so uncomfortable that Rick almost felt sorry for him, "Lori asked Hannah outright if you two were sleeping together and Hannah said yes. Then Lori slapped her across the face."

Rick groaned. "Jesus."

"She told Hannah to stay away from her and Carl and to stay away from you."

"Oh God. Tell me Carl didn't overhear it." Rick begged.

"Sorry man. He was in the kitchen but he saw and heard it all." Ethan said quietly.

Rick felt sick to his stomach as Ethan clapped him briefly on the shoulder. "Carol wanted me to let you know. She thought you should probably go talk to Lori and Carl."

Rick nodded, "Thanks Ethan. I appreciate it."

* * *

><p>"Hello." Rick climbed the steps of the porch and sat down beside Hannah.<p>

"Hello Rick. How was the trip to town? Did you find meds for Sara?" Hannah asked.

Rick nodded, "Yes. Paul and Hershel have started giving her the meds through IV. I hope it helps her."

"Me too." Hannah pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of her hoodie and shook one out. She lit it and inhaled; the end of the cigarette glowed softly in the growing dusk.

"Seems like every other day I've upset you enough to make you start smoking again." Rick tried to smile.

Hannah shrugged and showed him her cigarette pack. "There are only 4 left. Guess it'll be cold turkey after that no matter what happens."

"I'm so sorry Hannah. Lori shouldn't have slapped you." Rick stared across the clearing. He could see Amelia sitting cross-legged beside Michael's grave, her head bowed.

Hannah shrugged again, "I deserved it. I was fucking her husband after all."

Rick shook his head vehemently, "Stop that. Lori and me – our relationship – it's been over for a long time. She had no right to say or do what she did. I talked to her earlier today and she understands that now."

Rick didn't mention that Lori was also completely and utterly furious with him and had raged against him for more than an hour about the example he was setting for Carl and how it made Carl feel to have his father abandon him for a whore.

He had gritted his teeth and let her cry and rage, and call both he and Hannah nasty names until it was all out of her system. When she was done he had quietly informed her that he would speak to Carl and that while he would support and help her with parenting Carl and the new baby, their relationship was over and she was to stay away from Hannah.

"Can't even say you're sorry huh Rick? Tell me something - did you sleep with Hannah as revenge for what I did with Shane or do you actually believe you're in love with her?"

"I'm sorry that you found out this way. I didn't want that. But I'm not sorry for what happened with Hannah. And no, it wasn't revenge for Shane." Rick had sighed wearily and ran a hand through his hair.

"Besides, it seems you've forgotten that you ended this. You asked me to leave, remember?"

"So you think that gives you permission to just fuck whoever you want?" Lori had shouted.

He had shaken his head, "No. But I'm wondering why the hell you care so much about who I sleep with. You don't love me anymore. Or did you forget saying that as well?"

"This isn't about me Rick. This is about the example you're setting for your son. His mother and father separate and weeks later his dad is sleeping with some woman he just met. What do you think that says to Carl?"

"Don't do that Lori. You're angry that I've found someone else and I understand that, but don't use Carl as your excuse for why I shouldn't be with Hannah."

"Be with Hannah? For God's sake Rick," she had rolled her eyes, "you're too old to be confusing lust with love."

"Just do me a favour and stay away from her Lori."

Lori had laughed sullenly. "The days of you telling me what to do are finished Rick." She had stood and went to her bedroom.

They had sent Carl to the main lodge and although he desperately wanted to find Hannah, he had instead walked to the lodge to talk with Carl.

He realized Hannah was saying something to him and he looked at her, "I'm sorry?"

"I asked if you spoke to Carl. He was, um, in the main lodge." Hannah inhaled on her cigarette.

Rick nodded. "Yes. I've spoken with Carl."

He didn't elaborate and Hannah didn't ask for more details.

"Hannah, you didn't deserve what Lori said and did to you. Please, believe me when – "

"I know she's pregnant Rick." Hannah said softly. "I found out she was pregnant after that first night I slept with you and yet I still went back for more. Just had to get that goddamn itch scratched didn't I? I couldn't think of anyone else but myself."

"Hannah – listen to me carefully. You know that I was shot just before all of this happened right?"

Hannah nodded. She had touched the scar from the bullet with gentle fingers; had run her tongue over it and kissed it softly.

"Lori and Carl thought I was dead. Shane, I worked with him and he is – was my best friend, tried to get me out but he, well he thought I had died and he told my family I was gone. Then Lori and Shane, they – well they got together."

Hannah stared at him horrified, the cigarette burning forgotten between her fingers, "What do you mean they "got together"?" she whispered.

He sighed, "They were having sex."

"Jesus. I'm sorry Rick."

He shrugged, "I don't blame her. She thought I was dead. Shane protected her and Carl, kept them safe. If it hadn't been for him they probably would have died."

Hannah stared at Amelia who was still sitting next to Michael's grave. She tapped the ash from her cigarette into the small tin as Rick cleared his throat.

"The thing is Hannah, the baby isn't mine. It's Shane's."

She looked at him, "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. At first Lori told me it was mine but just after we arrived here, she told me it was Shane's."

"But you don't know do you?"

He shook his head, "No, I don't. It could be mine."

Hannah nodded. "It doesn't matter Rick; I still chose to sleep with you even though I knew your wife was pregnant; even though I knew you were still married and that there could be a chance that you would reunite with Lori."

He frowned, "No, that won't happen."

"But it could." She insisted, "If that baby turns out to be yours; are you really going to let Lori raise it and Carl on her own? She'll always be a part of your life Rick, in some way or the other and if there's the possibility that you can make it work, then you should. The world has gone completely fucking nuts and if you've got family left, you need to stick with them. That's all that matters now."

She butted her cigarette, "Besides, I'll be fine. I only feel badly because we were caught and neither Lori nor Carl deserved to be humiliated that way."

"Hannah..." Rick gave her a stricken look.

She shrugged, "You knew what this was Rick."

"Can you honestly tell me that the only thing happening between us is you using me for sex? Because if you can, I'll walk away right now and not bother you again." Rick said quietly.

Hannah hesitated and then stood up. "I need to go to Amelia. Do me a favour and leave me alone Rick. Please."

Rick watched as she walked down the steps of the cabin and crossed the clearing to Amelia. She bent, hugged her and then urged her to her feet. The two of them walked to Amelia's cabin and slipped inside.

Rick sighed and went back to his own empty cabin.


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93

"She's awake." Paul said.

Hannah whirled around. "She's awake!?"

Paul nodded and laughed when Hannah squealed and threw herself at him. She hugged him and kissed him.

"Hey now, be careful pet. Aaron will get jealous." He winked at her as she stepped out of his embrace.

"Can I go and see her?" Hannah asked.

Paul nodded. "Yeah, but you'll have to keep it short." He glanced around the lodge, "I haven't told anyone else yet. Thought I would give you the news first, figured you needed some cheering up."

"I'll go over there right now for a quick visit." She glanced at Amelia, "Do you mind?"

Amelia laughed, "Of course I don't. Go – give her a kiss from me."

Hannah left the lodge nearly skipping, and Amelia smiled fondly at Paul. "Thank you for that. She needed some good news."

Paul plunked down on the sofa beside her. "The others are still treating her differently yeah?"

Amelia nodded. "Yes. They're trying not to but they are. It's hard on her. She's quiet but she likes being with people. She feels like anytime Lori or Carl are in the lodge, she needs to leave."

Paul sighed, "Poor little bit. Aaron and I will have to spend more time with her." He patted Amelia's knee, "Now – how's your throat feeling?"

"Much better." Amelia smiled at him. "I'm still a little hoarse but it isn't sore at all."

It had been 3 days since the group had made the supply run to town and Sara had steadily improved. Today was the first day that she had actually opened her eyes and as Paul rose to make the announcement to the group, Amelia knew it would bring a much-needed boost to the group. Things were awkward every time Hannah and Lori were in the same room together and the group was feeling the strain. Although, Amelia supposed, her and Daryl probably didn't help either. He was still completely ignoring her and if his glance did happen to fall on her, she could almost feel his anger at her burning holes into her.

Amelia sighed and headed for the kitchen. She was on cooking duty this week; she might as well get a head start on lunch.

* * *

><p>"Oh Sara." Hannah started to cry softly at the sight of the old woman propped up in her bed. She was thinner and looked frailer than ever but her smile was as warm and welcoming as always.<p>

"Don't you be cryin' now baby girl." Sara said hoarsely. "Come lie beside Sara."

Hershel smiled at Hannah, "It's fine. Go and sit with her. I'm going to go visit with Beth and Maggie for a bit."

Hannah climbed on to the bed and curled up next to Sara. She rested her head on Sara's lap and wept when Sara's hand, shaky but warm, stroked her hair.

"Are you feeling better?" Hannah asked, wiping her nose with the heel of her hand.

"Tired, but the good Lord has seen fit to keep me around a bit longer."

"I'm so happy." Hannah sniffed. "Everyone's been worried sick about you."

They were quiet for a while and Hannah thought that Sara may have dozed off but when she eased into a sitting position, the old woman was awake and smiling at her.

"Do you remember what happened Sara?" Hannah asked softly.

Sara shook her head. "I remember feelin' poorly. My chest was hurting and I was dead tired. We were knockin' on Isaac's door, Julie had a bit of supper for him, and I thought I might faint. Julie told me to sit down on the couch and she would be right with me after she checked on Isaac. That's the last thing I remember."

She frowned, "How is Isaac? Did he get over the flu?"

Hannah hesitated, "I have some bad news Sara." She took the old woman's hand in her own and as gently as possible, told her what had happened to Isaac and Julie.

The old woman wept softly, the tears streaking down her paper-thin skin and Hannah wiped them gently away. "That poor boy. Did you know he had to kill his own mama?"

Hannah nodded, "Yes ma'am."

"And Julie; my sweet little Julie. Isaac was in love with her. He used to talk about her all the time. Just about broke his heart when she started up with Michael."

"I'm so sorry Sara." Hannah could feel her own tears trailing down her cheeks but she didn't bother to wipe them away. She held Sara's hand in her own.

Sara stared blankly at their linked fingers, "I keep wonderin' why the Lord keeps an old woman like me around, but calls the young, Isaac and Jeremy and Julie, home."

She sighed harshly, "There ain't nothin' special 'bout me Hannah, yet time and time again the Lord has spared my life."

Hannah squeezed her hands gently, "You are special Sara. You have no idea how important you are to all of us. Without you, the group would be lost. We need you."

Sara smiled a little, "You're a sweet baby girl Hannah. How are you doing? How's that man of yours?"

Hannah gave her a weak smile, "Not so good Sara. He's not my man anymore." She paused, "He never really was to begin with."

"Tell me what happened." Sara said quietly.

Hannah shook her head, "Nope. You need your rest. We can talk another time. Besides, Paul or Hershel are going to be back any minute, probably with some soup, and you need to eat and regain your strength."

Sara smiled, "Some soup would be nice."

Hannah grinned as the door opened and Paul stuck his head into the bedroom. "Did I hear someone talking about soup?"

He elbowed the door open and produced a tray with a glass of juice and a steaming bowl of soup. "So gorgeous, do you think you could have a bite to eat?"

Hannah laughed, "I'll go so you can eat and have a rest." She slid off the bed and leaned over to kiss Sara gently on the forehead.

"I'm so glad you're feeling better." She whispered. "I love you Sara."

"Why, I love you too Hannah."

* * *

><p>Daryl threw another chunk of wood into the huge cook stove in the kitchen of the main lodge. He cursed as a large sliver of wood stuck into the palm of his hand. He picked at it futilely for a moment or two but it was stuck deep in the flesh.<p>

"Need some help?"

He turned to see Tonya standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She limped over to him, the cane she was using thumping rhythmically on the wooden floor. She stood in front of him, resting the cane against the lower cupboards, and reached for his hand. He flinched at her touch.

"I'm sorry." She smiled at him. "Don't be so nervous. It's just a splinter."

She peered at the palm of his hand and ran her index finger over the splinter. "There's a piece of it sticking out; I think I can pull it free. Hold still."

She used her fingernails to grasp the end of the splinter and with a firm yank, pulled the piece of wood out of his hand. He hissed a little and she smiled at him and showed him the splinter. "Good as new."

"Thanks." He muttered. She was still holding his hand and he tried to pull free but she held it tightly.

"I never thanked you for saving my life Daryl." She murmured.

He shrugged, "Ya saved mine. Just returnin' the favour."

She gave him a slow smile, "Thank you."

He nodded uncomfortably and tried to take his hand back again but before he could get free she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

He stood stunned for a moment as she kissed him firmly. She slid her free hand around his neck and tried to deepen the kiss but he pulled back and stared at her.

"What?" she whispered, "You don't like to be kissed?" She was leaning in again when the floorboards creaked behind them and they both turned to see Amelia standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Her face was white and she was staring at them with a look of misery on her face.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt." She whispered hoarsely and fled the kitchen.

"Goddammit!" Daryl pulled free of Tonya and went after her.

"Amelia! Wait! Dammit, slow down!"

As the others turned towards them curiously, he chased Amelia out the door of the lodge.

"Hold up! Stop!" he hollered. Panting, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder, twisting her around to face him.

"Amelia, what just happened in there - it didn't mean nothin' to me. I'm sorry. She kissed me! I was just standin' there and she just kissed me; I didn't know she was gonna do it. I swear to you. Ya gotta believe me." He stared at her wild-eyed.

When she stayed quiet he shook her lightly, "Please believe me Amelia. I didn't want her to kiss me; she took a splinter out of my hand and then she said she wanted to thank me for saving her life in town. I didn't know she meant by kissin' me."

He was almost frantic now, "Amelia, fer God's sake, say somethin'! I didn't mean for – "

"Daryl stop!" she shook his hands free and took one of his in hers. "I believe you."

"If I had known she was gonna kiss me I would never have – ya believe me?"

She smiled, the old Amelia smile full of warmth and kindness, "Of course I believe you."

She reached up to touch his face, thought better of it and dropped her hand back to her side, "Don't trouble yourself about it okay? Besides," her face darkened briefly, "we're not – we're not together anymore. If you want to kiss someone else that's your business. You have nothing to apologize for."

"I ain't gonna be kissin' no one else." He muttered.

She nodded, trying to hide the relief on her face, "I'm on cooking duty; I need to go and get lunch started." She tugged her hand free and went back into the lodge. Daryl stared after her, an odd mixture of relief and disappointment coursing through his body.


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94

T-Dog poked Amelia lightly in the back. "Hey girl. You seen Daryl?"

She turned from where she was wiping the kitchen counter of the crumbs left over from the lunch sandwiches. "Not since lunch. Sorry."

"I think he went on watch right after lunch." Tonya's soft voice floated towards them.

T-Dog glanced at her, "Okay, thanks." He tugged on Amelia's long braid and held up one large fist. She grinned and fist-bumped him and with a small nod in Tonya's direction he left the kitchen.

"Amelia? Could I talk to you for a moment?" Tonya asked a bit nervously.

Amelia nodded, "Sure, what can I do for you?"

Tonya stood next to her and watched as Amelia wiped down the same patch of counter. "I think I owe you an apology."

Amelia shrugged, "No. You don't."

"I think I do. I didn't realize that you and Daryl were, well, a couple. I mean, I knew he cared for you – it was obvious the first day we met you in the woods, but you weren't living in the same cabin and you didn't really seem to be dating. You know?"

When Amelia didn't say anything, she hurried on, "I'm really sorry. I hope you don't think I was trying to like steal Daryl from you or anything; I thought he was available and he's kind of cute so you know…" she trailed off.

Amelia gave her a small smile, "I appreciate the apology Tonya; I really do. The truth is, Daryl and I used to be together but we're not anymore so technically you have nothing to be sorry about. Daryl is," she paused and swallowed painfully, "on the market I guess you could say, so…" she wanted to tell Tonya to go for it but the words stuck in her throat. Although it was over between her and Daryl, the thought of him being with Tonya, as nice as she was, made her sick to her stomach.

Tonya shook her head, "Nope. The way he went chasing after you this morning - he's in love with you Amelia. I'm old enough and smart enough to know I need to stay away from that." She smiled ruefully at her. "I just felt like I needed to say I was sorry."

"Thank you Tonya."

Tonya nodded, "Okay, well I'll see you around okay?"

"You bet." Amelia responded as Tonya gave her an awkward grin and limped out of the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Hannah traced one of the large rocks that covered Jeremy's grave. She had gone to the young man's grave after lunch. Some of the rocks had shifted and she had carefully repositioned them before sitting down on the cold ground next to the grave.<p>

She sighed. The guilt of what had happened to Jeremy still ate at her. The memory of that terrible day filled her head no matter how hard she tried to block it out.

"I'm so sorry Jeremy." She whispered quietly. Tears were starting down her face and she wiped them away angrily. She was so tired of crying; it was all she seemed to do lately. She needed to toughen up if she was going to –

"Hannah?"

She twisted around, surprised to see Scott standing behind her. He hadn't spoken a single word to her since the day of Jeremy's funeral and she wondered for a moment if she had imagined his voice.

"Hi Scott." She said almost timidly.

"Hi." He sat down beside her and stared at Jeremy's grave. "I miss him."

"I know you do honey." She whispered in a trembling voice.

"I miss mom and dad but I miss Jeremy more. Does that make me a bad person do you think?"

She shook her head, "No, it doesn't."

"I feel like I failed him you know?"

"You didn't. You were a great big brother. He loved you very much."

He nodded, "Sometimes I hate him - for just giving up and leaving me alone." He glanced at her.

She wanted to reach out and take his hand but worried that he would reject her. Instead she smiled at him, "I think that's normal. It's part of the grieving process."

He sighed heavily, "Yeah. That's what Hershel says." He reached out and took her hand and she curled her fingers around his.

"I'm sorry for what I said Hannah. I acted like a spoiled little shit the day of Jeremy's funeral. I shouldn't have blamed you for what happened."

She shook her head, "You don't need to apologize Scott. You were upset and you were right – I did abandon you and Jeremy. I should have noticed how badly he was hurting."

He squeezed her hand, "I still acted like a shithead and I'm sorry."

She pulled him into her arms, "I'm sorry too honey. I've missed you." She kissed the top of his head as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The two of them sat at Jeremy's grave silently.

* * *

><p>"Hey bitch, you seen my brother?"<p>

Amelia was headed towards her cabin and she turned to see Merle, supporting himself with one of the crutches they had brought back from town, standing in the doorway of the cabin he shared with Daryl.

"He's on watch." She said evenly.

"And you ain't with him? Oh that's right, yer not his little bitch anymore are ya?" Merle laughed.

"Call me bitch once more and you'll regret it." Amelia warned quietly.

"Ayuh. From what I can tell, yer a little kitty that's lost her claws." Merle laughed again and disappeared into the cabin.

Suddenly furious, Amelia stormed after him. She entered the cabin, glaring at Merle. "Fuck you Merle; you stupid fucking redneck."

"What did you call me?" he said softly.

"You heard me. I hope you're happy you stupid fuck. You've ruined your brother's life. You just couldn't stand to see him happy could you?"

"You think you could make him happy? A stuck-up whore like you? Don't make me laugh." He sneered at her.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Amelia spat at him. "Are you that selfish and afraid of being alone that you have to fill your brother's head with lies just to keep him to yourself?"

"I ain't afraid of nothin' ya stupid slut." Merle snarled at her.

"Yes you are. Daryl loves you; he believes in you and in return for his blind loyalty you're destroying him."

"I'm saving him!" Merle shouted at her. "He don't need no stuck-up bitch like you in his life."

Amelia shook her head, "I love him, more than anyone I've ever loved in my life. Even now, when he's chosen you over me, I still can't stop loving him."

Merle grimaced, "Someone like you can never love someone like Daryl. And if I had to lie to him to make him see that, so be it."

"You're an asshole." Amelia said with disgust. "I may be a stupid stuck-up bitch but I would never lie to Daryl the way you have."

"He makes it surprisingly easy to lie to him." Merle said disdainfully. "Even as a little kid, I could tell him whatever I wanted and the dumb shit believed it. I'll admit, you got in his brain and this time it was harder to convince him but once he talked to Isaac, I knew he was back on my side. Besides, sooner or later you would have been fuckin' that darkie anyway."

Amelia shook her head, "I would never betray Daryl like that – I love him. And there didn't need to be sides. We both could have been in his life. Don't you understand that?"

When Merle declined to answer, just leaned on the crutch and smiled coldly at her, she moved closer.

"Tell me how you got Isaac to lie for you Merle. After everything you've done to me, I deserve to know."

Merle shrugged, "Isaac was in love with that little half-breed bitch. All I had to do was tell him that if you and Daryl broke up, you'd go runnin' back to that nigger of yers and the half-breed would be all his. He was eager to help after that."

Amelia gaped at him, "You son of a bitch."

Merle laughed, "Love's a bitch ain't it Amelia?"

"He's your family - your flesh and blood. You can see how miserable he is. He's your brother for God's sake! He told me how you protected him from your father when you were kids; how you took care of him and kept him safe. You're taking his love for you and twisting it into something ugly. How could you do that to your own brother?" Amelia almost pleaded.

"I'm protecting him from you just like I protected him from daddy." Merle sneered at her, "Daryl always said that daddy hated him and ya know what? He did. Probably because Daryl wasn't even his kid."

"What?" Amelia whispered.

"That man that mama ran away with? That was Daryl's real father. The reason daddy hated Daryl so much was because every time he looked at him, all he saw was the bastard that mama fucked. She was nothin' but a fuckin' slut, opening her legs to every man that gave her a look and I was glad when she ran away with that piece of shit. We didn't need her around."

"Daryl doesn't know." Amelia spoke softly, her voice trembling.

Merle shook his head slowly, "Nope. Never saw a reason for it."

"Are you kidding me?" Amelia stared at him. "He thinks his own father hated him; he needs to know the truth Merle."

Merle glared at her, "No he don't. You best not be thinkin' of tellin' him either. Ya hear me?"

"If you don't tell him, I will. He has the right to know." Amelia said.

He reached out quickly and grabbed her wrist. He twisted it, making her gasp in pain. "You say one word to Daryl about this, I'll mess you up." He said softly. "Ya get me?"

Amelia tried to pull free of his grip, "I'm telling him and you can't stop me. Now let go of me."

"I'll let go of you when I'm good and ready." Merle growled at her. "You know Daryl won't believe ya anyway; yer just a stupid little bitch who fucked around on him." He brutally squeezed her wrist again and Amelia couldn't stop the small moan of pain from escaping her lips.

He smiled evilly, "Ya don't want to cross me Amelia. I'm warning you if ya even think –"

"Let her go Merle."

They both turned in surprise as Daryl emerged from the shadows of his bedroom.

Merle dropped Amelia's wrist, "Little brother, I thought ya was on watch."

"I ain't." Daryl said softly. He stared first at Merle and then at Amelia.

"Daryl? Honey are you okay?" Amelia asked.

He didn't reply, just walked past them to the door of the cabin.

"Little brother –"

"Shut yer goddamn mouth Merle." Daryl said quietly.

Amelia followed him outside to the porch. "Daryl, please we need to talk." She put her hand on his shoulder.

He shook it off and without looking at her said in a low voice, "I need to be alone Amelia. Go away."

She winced, "No Daryl. You definitely shouldn't be alone right now. We need to talk about what just happened. Please, come back to the cabin with me."

"No. I want to be alone."

"Daryl, please." She tried again.

"Leave me be Amelia!" he roared at her and she flinched back. Breathing heavily, his face pale, Daryl ran down the steps and disappeared into the woods.


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95

"I know you're worried Amelia, but I can't send people out looking for him. You know I can't." Rick said quietly.

"I know." Amelia sighed and rested her head in her hands. She was sitting at the table in her cabin, T-Dog and Rick sitting across from her, staring solemnly at her.

"So Merle basically admitted everything to you and Daryl heard it?" T-Dog said.

She nodded. "Yeah. We didn't know he was in the bedroom. Merle said terrible things about – about his dad and his family and Daryl heard it all. He was so upset when he left. I've never seen him like that."

She peered tearfully at Rick and T-Dog, "Do you think he's okay?"

T-Dog patted her hand, "He's tough Amelia. Take more than a night in the woods to do him in."

"Where's Merle now?" Rick asked.

Amelia shrugged, "Still in his cabin I guess. I don't really know."

Rick looked at T-Dog who gave him a slight nod.

Amelia frowned, "Don't kick him out tonight Rick. When Daryl comes back he'll want to speak with him. At least give Daryl a chance to confront Merle."

Rick stared at her. "Honestly Amelia, it makes me nervous to have Merle here. Especially knowing all the lies he's been spinning."

Amelia sighed, "I know. But please – Daryl needs to talk to him."

"I know. Who's on watch tonight?" he glanced at T-Dog.

"Hershel and Scott."

"We'll tell them to keep an eye out for Daryl. Leave a light burning at the blind." Rick stood up, "He'll be fine Amelia. He'll come back to you."

Amelia nodded. "I hope you're right."

* * *

><p>Daryl crept quietly through the woods. It was completely dark now but his eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he moved easily through the trees. He was getting close to the camp; he could see a light burning in the trees and knew it was the blind. As he moved closer, another light flickered in the trees and the beam of a high-powered flashlight shone briefly on him.<p>

He squinted in the bright light, putting his hand up to his face and the light moved off of him and onto the ground in front of him, illuminating the way. He followed the bobbing light to the blind and looked up. Hershel stared down at him; he nodded silently and Daryl nodded back before walking the rest of the way to the clearing.

He stopped in the middle of the clearing and stared first at Merle's cabin and then at Amelia's. He sighed, shivered in the cold air, and made his decision.

He climbed the steps of the porch slowly, feeling the cold in every bone in his body, and paused at the door. He tried the door handle; it was locked and a feeling of hopelessness came over him. As he turned to leave, his foot brushed against something sitting at the base of the door.

He squatted down, stared silently at the flower pot for a moment and then slipped his hand underneath it. He wrapped his fingers around the cold steel of the key and smiled a little. He stood and unlocked the door, slipping silently into the cabin.

It was shrouded in darkness; the only light came from a dying candle on the table next to the bed. He slipped out of his jacket and boots and moved quietly to the bed. He stood uncertainly next to the bed for a moment, staring at the outline of her body under the quilt.

She turned over and smiled at him, "Hi."

"Hey. I'm sorry I woke ya."

"You didn't. I was waiting for you to come home to me."

He continued to stand there, unsure and uncharacteristically nervous, until she smiled again and held back the quilt and the sheet.

He stripped quickly, nearly falling over in his hurry to remove his socks, making her giggle a little. He slid into the bed beside her, curling himself into her and burying his face in her neck. She was wearing just a pair of panties and her skin was warm and fragrant. He inhaled deeply as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, warming his cold skin.

"I love you." She whispered into his ear.

"I love you too." He leaned back, "I'm so sorry Amelia. For not believin' ya, for thinkin' that ya were sleeping with –"

She pressed her finger to his lips. "Shhh. Stop, not tonight. Kiss me; love me. Please." She pleaded softly.

When he hesitated she pressed her mouth against his. The familiar feel of her lips on his made him moan and he tightened his grip around her until she gasped.

She placed small, warm kisses on his cheeks, his nose and his forehead, holding his head tightly in her hands.

"I've missed you." He whispered into her throat.

"I've missed you too." She murmured. She kissed him again and this time he opened his mouth so she could slip her tongue between his lips.

They kissed, their tongues stroking against each other with increasing urgency. He kissed his way to her ear, tracing the curve of it with his tongue before sucking on the lobe. She moaned and arched her back, pressing herself against him.

She ran her hands down his back, tracing the scars with light fingers, as he cupped her bare breast and ran his thumb over her hardened nipple. He pinched it lightly, making her fingers tighten on his back, and then she was tugging on his head, bringing it down to her breast. He took one nipple into his mouth and sucked lightly as she threaded her fingers in his hair and pressed her hips against his.

He moved to the other breast, licking and sucking and tugging lightly on her nipple with his teeth. She moaned and sighed and pushed against him eagerly as he urged her on to her back. He nudged at her legs with his knee and she opened them so he could nestle his leg between hers. She rubbed her pelvis against his hard thigh. He was hard against her hip and she slipped her hand between them and wrapped her fingers around him. He inhaled sharply and thrust his hips helplessly against her as she squeezed and stroked him.

He traced the band of her panties with one rough finger before slipping his hand under the material. He drew small circles first on one hip bone and then the other, making her tremble. "Daryl, please."

He kissed her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth as he trailed his fingers down to her throbbing center. His fingers found her hard, pink nub and rubbed it roughly as she moaned and gasped into his mouth. She shuddered and panted beneath him as he stroked her with slow, warm fingers.

"Oh God!" She cried, her hips thrusting faster and faster against him. With a small cry, she arched her back, her hips rising up from the bed as she came. His fingers were flooded with warmth and he kissed her roughly, pushing his tongue into her mouth. She sucked hard on it as she trembled and shook beneath him.

He shifted his body off hers, making her cry out a little but he was only away from her long enough to grab a condom. He opened it quickly as she pushed her panties down her legs and off her feet. He rolled on top of her and she opened her legs, wrapping them around his waist and hooking her feet together in the small of his back.

He thrust against her, growling in frustration when he couldn't seem to find the right spot. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him gently.

"Shh honey." She repositioned her hips and reached between them, grasping him in her hand and guiding him into her. He moaned as his cock slid into her and her warmth enveloped him.

"You feel so good." He groaned. She trailed her hands down his arms and he held her hands tightly, linking their fingers together as he began to move within her. They moaned and gasped in unison as he moved, slowly at first, and then with an increased urgency.

"So good." She moaned softly. She could feel herself on the verge of another orgasm and she bucked against him, their steady rhythm dissolving into a frantic and insistent pulsating movement of their hips against each other.

"I love you Daryl." She gasped as her orgasm exploded within her, plunging her body into a sea of pleasure.

He shuddered above her, his own orgasm making him fall weakly against her. "I love you too Amelia."

They curled up together in the middle of the bed and he wrapped his arm and leg around her, cupping her breast and pulling her tightly against him.

"I'll never leave you again." He whispered.


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Amelia woke shortly after dawn. She was alone in the bed and she sat up, scanning the room quickly. Daryl was sitting at the kitchen table and she slipped into his shirt and padded quietly across the room until she was standing behind him.

"Morning." She put her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

He squeezed her clasped hands, "Mornin'."

"You okay?" she whispered, rubbing his chest gently.

He shrugged and she stood in front of him. She cupped his face in her hands and stared gravely at him. He sighed and pulled her down onto his lap, pressing his forehead against her throat. She rested her chin on top of his head as he took a deep shuddering breath.

"I'm sorry Amelia."

She kissed the top of his head, "I know."

"I shoulda believed ya, it's just that Merle ain't…" he trailed off.

"I know." She said again. "I'm sorry you had to hear the hurtful things that Merle said."

He shook his head, "At least I know the truth."

"Do you want to talk about your dad?"

"No." he squeezed her tightly for a moment.

She frowned. It would be better for Daryl if he talked about it but they had just reconnected. Their relationship still felt tenuous to her and she didn't want to risk losing him again by pushing him to talk about his feelings.

She sighed and leaned back to give him a look of apprehension. "Daryl, I'm sorry but I think Rick is going to kick Merle out of the camp."

Daryl nodded, "I know."

"How – how do you feel about that?" she asked hesitantly.

He shrugged, "I told Rick if we found out Merle was lyin' I would kick him out myself."

She frowned again. "Daryl, I know that you – well, you don't like to talk much about your feelings but you've just found out –"

"Amelia stop. I ain't gonna talk about this. Ya hear?" he said grouchily.

She nodded. "I hear."

His expression softened and he kissed her lightly on the mouth, "Let's get dressed and join the others at the lodge."

* * *

><p>"I know he's your brother Daryl, but he's left us no choice. He has to go." Rick said quietly.<p>

Daryl nodded as Amelia squeezed his hand. They were sitting in the kitchen of the main lodge. Merle hadn't shown up for breakfast and now, glancing around the kitchen, Amelia realized that the three of them, along with T-Dog and Hannah, who was pacing nervously back and forth by the counter, were the only ones left in the kitchen.

"You sure you're okay with this man?" T-Dog asked.

"Yeah." Daryl muttered.

"Who's gonna tell him?" T-Dog glanced around the kitchen.

"I will." Daryl grunted.

"You don't have to." Rick replied.

Daryl shook his head, "I'll do it."

Rick stared at him silently for a moment, "Alright. But I want to be there when you do it."

Daryl nodded, "Let's go."

"Wait."

They all turned to look at Hannah. She gave Daryl a shaky smile, "I know you want him to leave and I'm not saying we shouldn't kick him out, but if you make him leave the way he is, he won't make it a mile outside the campsite."

She looked at the others, "He's a monster, no doubt about it, but are we really going to send him out there to die?"

"Yes." Rick spoke quietly, "He can't stay here so I guess we are."

Amelia sighed, "She's right Rick. If we kick him out it's a death sentence for him. We can't do that to Daryl's brother."

"He ain't my brother." Daryl said viciously. Amelia gave him a troubled look.

Hannah sat down next to T-Dog. "Give him 24 hours. He can take one of the cars; we'll give him some food and water, a few medical supplies. He can leave in the morning."

Rick gave her a considering look, "Since when did you start caring about Merle Dixon?"

She flushed and looked at him angrily, "I still value the living. Merle may be a shithead but he's still a human being."

Rick glanced at Daryl, "It's your call."

Daryl shrugged, "Don't matter much to me either way. Kick him out today with nothin' but the clothes on his back or let him go tomorrow."

Rick looked at Hannah. She was staring at him with something close to disappointment and he could feel his cheeks reddening. "Fine. He can leave tomorrow."

Daryl stood, "I'll go let 'im know."

As Rick and T-Dog followed Daryl out of the kitchen, Amelia watched them go, worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth. Hannah sat down beside her and took one cold hand in her own.

"I'm worried about him." Amelia sighed. "He's acting like he doesn't even care what happens to Merle."

Hannah squeezed her hand, "You know Daryl, he's not much for revealing how he really feels."

"I know. But he just found out that his brother has been lying to him his entire life. He's been betrayed by the one person he thought he could trust. You don't just get over that or push it to the side like it doesn't matter."

Hannah gave her a wan smile, "He'll talk about it when he's ready to."

"I hope you're right Hannah."

* * *

><p>"Ya here to kill me Darylina?" Merle asked sullenly. He thumped away from the door, maneuvering awkwardly with the crutch.<p>

"Ya can't stay at the camp Merle." Daryl said quietly.

"And where do ya expect me to go?" Merle asked.

Daryl shook his head, "Don't care."

"I'm a dead man if I go." Merle scowled.

"We'll let ya stay in the camp one more day. Tomorrow morning we'll give ya a car, some food and water, and some medical supplies. It's more than you deserve."

Merle scoffed, "Ya think yer doin' me some kind of favour?"

Rick nodded, "Actually we do."

"What if I refuse to leave?" Merle asked softly.

"Ya don't seem to be gettin' it Merle. Ya ain't got a choice." Daryl stared at him, "Ya either leave right now or take our offer of a car and some supplies."

"Yer woman and yer sheriff buddy have gotten to ya huh? This how ya treat yer own flesh and blood? Yer family?"

"We ain't family!" Daryl suddenly shouted.

"We share the same mama!" Merle shouted back.

"The crack whore?" Daryl said, "The one ya told me over and over again was nothin' but a dirty slut who didn't care about us or daddy?"

Merle shook his head, "We're still family Daryl and ya know what yer doin' is wrong."

Daryl laughed bitterly, "Yer one to talk Merle. Your lies have finally caught up to ya and this time ya can't weasel your way out of it."

Merle stared silently at him as Rick stepped forward, "You're leaving tomorrow Merle. Pack your stuff and be ready to go at first light. Consider yourself lucky that we're giving you the car and supplies."

Rick and Daryl turned to go and Merle thumped his crutch angrily on the floor, "Yer turnin' yer back on family Daryl. Daddy was right – ya never were good for anythin'."

"We ain't family." Daryl repeated softly. "Good-bye Merle."

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, Amelia and Daryl were lying in bed together when the sound of a car starting broke the silence. It was just after dawn and Amelia could see faint beams of light through the shutters. Daryl's body stiffened beside her and Amelia rubbed his arm soothingly.<p>

"Do you want to go out there?" she asked, sitting up in the bed.

"No, I don't." Daryl pulled her back down and they remained in the bed for another half hour, neither of them speaking. Paul knocked softly on the door giving them the all clear and Daryl rose from the bed.

Amelia sat up and reached for his hand. "Daryl? Please talk to me. Are you okay?"

He sat on the edge of the bed and rested his forehead against hers, "I'm fine Amelia. I have you; ain't nothing else matters."

She kissed him softly on the mouth and he kissed her back before going into the bathroom. She stared at the closed door, biting her bottom lip worriedly, before sighing and crawling out of the bed.

* * *

><p>"Paul, wait up! Paul!" Amelia hurried across the clearing to where Paul and Aaron were just about to enter their cabin. "Have you seen Hannah?" Amelia asked anxiously. "She didn't answer the door when I knocked and she didn't show up for breakfast."<p>

Paul looked at her uneasily and Amelia frowned, "What?"

Before he could answer, the door to Hannah's cabin banged open and Rick ran down the steps and towards them. He shouldered past Amelia, breathing heavily, and grabbed Paul by the collar.

"Where is she? Goddammit, tell me where she went!"

"Rick! Stop it!" Amelia grabbed his arm and pulled him away from Paul.

"You were on the blind this morning, you son of a bitch! Did you just watch her leave? Did you?!" Rick bellowed and grabbed for Paul again. Daryl ran up the steps and helped Amelia wrestle Rick away from Paul.

Paul gripped the railing of the porch tightly as Aaron put his arm around his shoulders, "She asked me not to say anything."

"What are you talking about Paul?" Amelia whispered. Her heart was sinking and a sick feeling was growing in her stomach.

"She left with Merle!" Rick shouted. "Didn't she Paul? And you just let her go you stupid bastard!"

Amelia put her hands to her mouth, her eyes round with horror, "No."

Paul stared at her soberly, "I'm sorry Amelia."

Rick tore free from Daryl, "You should have told me – do you have any idea what you've done? How much danger she's in? Why the hell would you let her go with Merle for God's sake? Tell me - are you that stupid or just naïve?"

Paul flushed with anger, "She would have gone regardless! Don't you get that you dumb wanker? Don't you think I tried to stop her? She told me if I didn't let her go with Merle, she would just leave later on her own. I figured she had a better chance with Merle than by herself. She was desperate to get away from _you_ Rick."

Rick's lean body seemed to deflate as the anger rushed out of him. He sat down heavily on the steps, his head in his hands.

Paul squatted beside him and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "She asked me to give you this." He handed Rick the piece of paper and then took Aaron's hand and led him into their cabin.

"C'mon Amelia." Daryl said. He tugged gently on Amelia's waist and she followed him numbly to their cabin.

Rick sat silently for a few moments, his fingers tracing the crease in the paper. Finally, with shaking hands he opened the paper.

_Dear Rick,_

_I'm sorry to leave this way. Please believe me when I say that I wanted more than anything to say goodbye to you and explain my reasons for leaving in person. What I've done is an act of cowardice but I hope that someday you'll understand why I acted so cowardly. If I had told you I was leaving, you would have convinced me to stay and that isn't fair to you and your family._

_You asked me once if I believed that what we had was nothing more than me using you. I refused to answer but you deserve an answer - it's the least I can do. It was never just me using you and I'm so sorry I told you it was._

_Goodbye Rick, I hope you find the happiness you deserve._

_Hannah_

Amelia, standing on the porch of their cabin with Daryl's arm hooked firmly around her waist watched as Rick carefully re-folded the piece of paper and tucked it into his shirt pocket. He buried his head in his hands and Amelia turned to Daryl, tears dripping down her face.

"We have to find her Daryl. We have to."

* * *

><p><strong>Hello everyone,<strong>

**I wanted to say thank you so much for joining me in this journey. Writing Amelia's Choice has been a rewarding and enriching experience to say the least, and what's made it so amazing has been all of you. Your reviews and comments have been, for me personally, the best part of this entire experience.**

**I believe, however, that Amelia's Choice has finally found its ending. I think trying to continue it would be doing a disservice to the story I've created. That being said, I'll be starting a new story called "Finding Hope". This story will be set in the same world as "Amelia's Choice" and will be a continuation of sorts of "Amelia's Choice". There will still be plenty of Daryl and Amelia, but overall the story will focus on the group as a whole, with a special emphasis on Rick and Hannah.**

**I want to invite all of you to join me on this new journey. Below you'll find an excerpt from the first chapter of "Finding Hope". In the next day or so I'll be posting the entire first chapter as a new story but for now - I hope you enjoy this little teaser!**

**Thank you again.**

**Elizabeth**

* * *

><p><strong>Finding Hope<strong>  
><strong>Rated: M<strong>

The man crawled like a snake on his belly to the woman who was lying on her stomach and peering out the large plate glass window. The window was filthy and streaked with smears of rusty black that could only be dried blood.

He reached her side; she glanced briefly at him before she returned to staring at the street outside the window. The man followed her gaze, stared disinterestedly at the scene in front of them, and then turned his attention back to the woman beside him. Her blonde hair was cut in a short pixie style and she was wearing a faded leather jacket over a green tank top. Two Colt 45's hung low around her hips on a leather gun belt and a sporting rifle was slung over her back. Loose-fitting camouflage pants and black army boots completed the outfit. His gaze lingered on the thin, red scar that ran just below her ear and along the shelf of her jaw.

He knew she was aware of him looking at her but her gaze didn't falter from the window. Finally, with an impatient sigh, she murmured, "What?"

"We can't help them."

She didn't answer but her jaw set in a way he was all too familiar with and she gave him a brief stubborn look. He rubbed his shaved head, feeling the stubble under the palm of his hand and stared impassively back at her.

Without saying anything she turned back to the window, raising her head a little to get a better view. He frowned and looked again. Eight men, heavily armed, were standing in the middle of the street. Two young men and a young woman were standing huddled together, staring fearfully at the men who had their weapons trained at them.

"There are eight of them and only four of us. Trying to help them will be suicide."

"We're helping them." She replied.

He grunted in frustration, "I'm not trying to be heartless but they're strangers. We can't save every person we come across who were stupid enough to get themselves trapped like that."

"They're not strangers. And we don't leave this place without them." The woman said softly.

She turned and crawled towards the back of the store. The man, his thick, dark eyebrows raised in surprise, crawled after her.


End file.
